Guilt
by Devil-may-care101
Summary: Lindsay's life is in danger as she races to catch a killer before he hurts a young woman, whos past is just a murky as Lindsay's. Can Danny save her? Now complete!
1. Chapter 1

_I do not own anything. CSI NY and all of the characters are the property of CBS._

_This is my first fanfic so please be nice - also please review, I don't know whether I should continue or not._

_Enjoy!_

_Screaming. All she heard was the screaming. She glanced round, in an effort to see who was screaming. She took a step forwards. Then she heard the shot._

Gasping for breathe, Lindsay Monroe sat bolt up right in bed, eyes darting around the room. Only when she was certain there was no one there did she close her eyes and fall back on the pillows. She sighed. Despite being unable to remember what she had been dreaming about, she still felt a sheer terror. Unable to even contemplate going back to sleep, she got out of bed and went and stood in front of the mirror. The person looking back at her had wild eyes, messed up hair and had a sheen of sweat across her forehead. Lindsay turned away, not wanting to see the person that was meant to be her. Despite what she told Danny, her nightmare wasn't just a nightmare. A more accurate representation was walking through hell. Over and over again. And the worst part of it was, she didn't know why she was walking that road in the first place.

* * *

Annabel Fletcher looked up from her desk to glance at the clock located on her nightstand. 2:03am. Annabel sighed. She knew that she should go to bed. She knew tomorrow was going to be a long day. Yet still her body refused sleep. Or rather she refused to let herself sleep. She didn't want to be subjected to the dream again. She didn't want to see the blood, didn't want to hear those screams. Not again. Not now. Not after 3 months of having flashbacks of something she couldn't remember. She guessed that the dreams were normal. After the accident, she'd had to piece her life back together. But that didn't make forgetting any easier. She got up and stretched, before changing into her pyjamas. She knew the dream couldn't hurt her. Physically anyway. Mentally - well that was something else entirely. Climbing into bed, she cast her mind back to before her life was plagued by the dreams and the guilt. But it was the guilt that was the last thing she thought of before falling asleep.

* * *

When Lindsay arrived at work the next day, she was immediately ambushed by her friend Stella Bonasera. She had tried to cover the circles underneath her eyes, but it was getting harder and harder. St pulled her aside and said

"Lindsay, are you ok? You look like you haven't slept a bit."

Lindsay knew that Stella was just trying to help her. She thought about the pros and cons of using the same lie she had been using ever since the dreams began 3 months ago. And she decided that if she was ever going to get over the issues that were bothering her, she needed to let someone in to help.

"Actually Stell, could I talk to you for a moment about something?"

"Sure kiddo" Stella lead them into the office she shared with Hawkes. "Whats bothering you?"

"I've been having these dreams. I don't even remember much about them. All I know is that there is a lot of screaming and the sound of a gunshot. But they have been keeping me awake and I just don't know how to stop them!" Lindsay said, becoming increasingly agitated as she spoke.

St took in the appearance of her younger friend. She couldn't pretend that she didn't see the bags under her eyes or the look of desperation that recently seemed to be the only identifiable expression there.

"How long have you been having these dreams?"

"About 3 months now"

"Can you think of anything that may have caused them?"

"No, and that's whats frustrating! I haven't worked a shooting in months and I don't recall anything that would be bugging me after such a long time."

"Have you told Danny?"

"He knows that I have dreams. But all I tell him is that they are dreams. I don't know how to talk to him about them without sounding like an idiot."

"Lindsay, he isn't going to think you're an idiot. Especially if you tell him in the same way you just told me. You might find that he can be more helpful than you think."

"Maybe."

Before the conversation could continue any further, Mac Taylor walked into the room. He took in the sight of a rather distressed Lindsay and a look in Stella's direction prevented him from saying anything. He decided he'd corner Lindsay later, when she was a bit less upset, to find out what was going on. Failing that, he was sure Stella would always tell him if it was something that he needed to worry about.

"Right ladies, we have a lead off of that DB we found in central park yesterday. Turns out he was a lawyer downtown and the firm he works for is willing to send a representative to talk to us about him and any problems he might have had."

"How do we know that they'll be able to help?" Asked Lindsay.

"I'm not sure yet, but while we are waiting on DNA and the autopsy results, we have nothing else to go on. Do you two want to talk to the colleague while I chase up those results?"

"Sure thing. Come on Lindsay. We'll meet you down there Mac."

As they walked away, Mac couldn't help but notice how lifeless Lindsay seemed. But before his thoughts could develop any further, his pager went off - Adam had found something on the vic's clothes.

* * *

"Where did you find this?" Mac demanded when he say what Adam had found.

"In his back pocket."

Mac held the letter in his hand.

Adam continued, wary of Mac's reaction, "I analysed the handwriting and compared it to a sample of the vic's. It's not his. I also analysed it for prints and I found one, which I just ran through the database."

"Did you get a match?"

"Erm, it's just coming through." The machine beeped and Adam picked up the results. "Results came back to a Derek Patterson. Convicted for murder and attempted murder 3 months ago after running a care off of the road."

"Where is he now?"

"Now see that's the thing. He escaped a week ago from the state prison."

"Damn it. Well at least we know that he has a target."

"Do you know where we can find her?"

"She's downstairs with Stella and Lindsay."

* * *

"Take a seat Miss Fletcher. Can we get you anything?"

"No thank you I'm ok."

"Ok, well the detective will be right in."

As the cop walked out of the room, Annabel looked round. She hated these interview rooms. The cold steel tables and the concrete walls were bland, even to her taste. And what she hated even more was being here because of a colleague's death. She had offered to come because she felt that justice needed to be done, and she was well aware that she was trying to use this to reduce the guilt she felt inside. Now she regretted her decision. Who was she to help? She hadn't been able to help after the accident. Hadn't been able to save her friend. Why should that be any different now?

* * *

Just as they approached the interview room, Stella's phone rang. It was Mac.

"Stella, keep Miss Fletcher in interrogation, I'll be down in a minute. We have a problem."

"Why whats going on?

As Mac explained to Stella what Adam had found, she became more and more grave. Lindsay watched her face, instinctively knowing that this was going to be a long day. When Stella rang off, Lindsay looked up at her expectantly. Stella pulled her aside.

"Lindsay, the girl in there, someone tried to kill her. He got her friend - surely you remember the hit and run case 3 months back? Derek Patterson?"

"Sure, I worked that case. But we solved that. He's in lockup."

"Not anymore. He escaped. And now he's looking for revenge. Not just on the girl he couldn't kill, but also on the investigator on the case. "


	2. Chapter 2

_Once again, I own nothing. CSI NY is not mine, none of the characters are mine, etc._

_Hope you like this bit. If you have any ideas please let me know and i'll c what i can do._

_Enjoy - please review!_

* * *

Danny Messer woke up to the sound of his mobile. What the hell Mac could want from him after a double shift was beyond him. He reached for his phone, and in the process, knocked his glasses on the floor. He sighed and counted to 5 before he completely lost his temper. He decided to answer his phone to find out what the hell Mac wanted before attempting to pick up his glasses off of the floor without falling out of bed.

"Messer."

"Danny, it's Mac. I'm sorry to bother you on your day off, but we need you to come in."

"Can I ask what the emergency is?"

Mac could tell that the young CSI was annoyed. Who wouldn't be after working a double shift which didn't resolve itself? He decided to let Danny in on the note.

"Danny, we had a DB in Central Park, and whilst processing his clothes, Adam found a note. A threatening note. Do you remember the hit and run case from 3 months back?"

"Sure, but Lindsay worked that case."

"Yes she did and that's the problem. The guy that she convicted escaped this morning."

Danny's mind was struggling to cope from the lack of sleep, but a picture was starting to develop. And needless to say, the picture wasn't a good one.

Mac decided to continue, "The note that Adam found was threatening the person that survived. And the person that convicted him."

"But, that means that…"

"Lindsay is in danger Danny. That's why we need you to come in"

* * *

Mac hung up the phone just as he rounded the corned where Lindsay and Stella were waiting for him. He knew that Lindsay should be taken off of the case, but he knew that, despite her life being in danger, Lindsay wouldn't budge. Especially if a young women was in danger. He decided to suggest it anyway.

"Lindsay, maybe you should…"

But before he could get any further, Lindsay interrupted him.

"Mac there is no way that you are taking me off of this case. Not now."

Mac tried to stifle smile - despite everything, Lindsay was stubborn and determined, which was partly what made her such a great CSI.

"You're sure?"

"Positive."

"You know Danny won't like this, don't you?"

"Stella, Danny might be my boyfriend but he most certainly does not control what I can and can't do. If he doesn't like it, then tough."

This time, neither Mac nor Stella could prevent a smile. But Mac quickly sobered up.

"Right well, before we decide what to do next, we'll have to talk to the survivor. Did you interview her before Lindsay?

"No but that we because we couldn't. After the accident, she was in a coma for 2 weeks, and by the time she woke up, we had all the evidence we needed to make the conviction. I never even saw her myself, the nurse did all of the processing for us. But it stands to reason that her work colleague is just a casualty, a way to get the message across that he hasn't finished what he started."

"Right ok, well lets see what she knows. Like maybe why this guy wants her dead in the first place."

* * *

Annabel looked up from her previous position with her head in her hands as 3 detectives walked into the room. The two females sat down at the table, whilst the man stayed standing.

"Miss Fletcher," Mac began, "I'm Detective Taylor, this is Detective Bonasera and Detective Monroe. We appreciate you coming down to answer a few questions about Mr Gibson."

Lindsay looked at the women sat in front of her. The women was clearly nervous, and despite her blonde hair covering part of her face, Lindsay could still see the scar across her jaw line from when she was in the accident.

"Please, call me Annabel. What sort of things do you need to know?"

"Did Mr Gibson have any enemies, maybe a disgruntled client, or ex girlfriend that you know of?"

"No, Andrew was hopelessly single. He was a bit of a player, and he did try to hit it off with almost every girl in the firm, me included, but needless to say, we didn't fall for his 'charms'. But to be honest, none of us know him very well, he was transferred from Ohio about 2 months back, and he wasn't very talkative about his personal life. As for clients, he mostly worked with inheritance, like me, so most of the people who he was dealing with have died."

"Annabel, we have reason to believe that this man may have killed Andrew," Stella began, "Do you recognise him?"

Stella passed Annabel the photo of Derek Patterson, and watched as the women in front of her began to shake from fear, as her face drained of colour.

"Yes, that's Derek. Derek Patterson." The words came out in a whisper, and tears filled Annabel's eyes, before running down her cheeks.

Mac passed her a box of tissues, as Stella gave Annabel a sympathetic look. Lindsay gave a sad smile, and paused briefly before asking,

"How do you know him Annabel/?"

Annabel looked up, and briefly connected eyes with Lindsay, before looking away towards the window. But that brief second was all it took for Lindsay to recognise the depth of pain Annabel was feeling, as well as the anger and survivors guilt that she herself had suffered through when her friends were shot dead in the diner, all those years ago. It took a few moments for Annabel to gather her thoughts enough to deliver a coherent answer.

The three detectives had to lean closer to hear her answer.

"He tried to kill me. And he killed my friend Paige. He ran us off of the road. He'd been following me for months but I didn't realise it was him, and I couldn't do anything to save Paige!" Her thoughts came out jumbled and she began to cry hysterically, not being able to hold the tears in much longer.

* * *

Mac was becoming increasingly uncomfortable, and both Stella and Lindsay could sense it. Mac was not what you would call an emotional person. He muttered in Stella's ear that he was going to go and wait for Danny, Flack and Hawkes to arrive, but before he left, he put a comforting hand on Annabel's shoulder. Then he left the girls to do their job, in a way that Mac would never be truly able to understand.

Outside, Mac nearly walked straight into Danny, who looked as if he had broken every traffic law known to man just so that he could get to the lab as quickly as possible. Before Danny could utter a would, Mac pulled him into the room that looked into the interview room. Seeing that Lindsay was still very much alive, Danny visibly relaxed, but continued to watch her through the glass as if she might disappear at any moment. Mac watched with interest. He knew that Danny cared about Lindsay - that was shown by the way he'd given her a nickname and spent most of his time watching her, even if he was meant to be working. He even knew about the time that Danny had flew to Montana, just to help Lindsay deal with one of the worst moments of her life. He saw the depth of concern and fear on Danny's face, and immediately knew that if something ever happened to Lindsay, he would lose Danny too.

"Don't worry Danny, we'll keep her safe."

All Danny could do was nod, as he continued to watch the women that he considered to be his whole world.

* * *

Lindsay, unaware of the scene behind the glass, leaned forward and took Annabel's hand. She knew first hand what she was going through, although when her friends died, she wasn't the specific target. For now all Lindsay could do was let her cry, and wait with dread for the moment where she had to tell her that the worst was not over.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hope you like this part - let me know if there is something you need to know or if you have any ideas_

_I do not own CSI NY or its characters_

_I also apologise if there is anything in the next few chapters that offends anyone - everything i write is entirely fictional_

* * *

It took a long time for Annabel to stop crying. She sat there in silence, taking a few gulping breaths before saying

"I'm sorry."

Stella reached out and took her other hand, just as Lindsay had moments before. Stella was not new to feeling other people's pain, but it had been a long time since she had seen this depth of pain from one individual. Even though it had been 3 months since the accident, the pain on her face was devastating and clearly, Annabel hadn't had a moment where she didn't feel the immense guilt of being the survivor when she was the intended victim. But as Stella's emotional side began to kick in, so did her logical side. She knew the longer the conversation was put off, the more of a head-start Derek would have. And even if she didn't know the girl in front of her, Stella did know that Lindsay was in just as much danger, and she wasn't about to let Derek attempt to kill her friend. Not if she could prevent it.

"Annabel, I know this is incredibly hard for you, but we need to ask you some questions about Derek. We need to find him as soon as a possible, so anything you tell us will help us find him." Both Stella and Lindsay were aware that they hadn't told Annabel that Derek had escaped, but they were afraid to put it bluntly, in case the broken women in front of them would break anymore.

To their surprise, when Annabel looked up, though her eyes were red and puffy from crying, there was a fire in them that hadn't been there before.

"What do you mean, find him? He's already in jail!"

Stella looked to Lindsay, and Lindsay decided that it was time to tell the truth to Annabel. Both of their lives were in danger, and they didn't have time to play games.

"He was. But he escaped. I'm so sorry to have to tell you this, but we need to find him."

Lindsay also realised that they needed to show Annabel the note, that they needed to make her aware of how much danger she was in, or she knew that the women wouldn't open up. She reached down for the evidence that Hawkes had collected and withdrew the copy of the note, before handing it to Annabel.

_Annabel, my dear, I'm sure you remember me. Derek?_

_Funny, the last time I saw you, we didn't really get a chance to talk. But that's going to change._

_You can't hide from me anymore. You may have succeeded for the last 6 years, but you won't get away from me this time._

_How did you survive the crash my dear? I watched from a distance, watched the car smash and flip into the ditch. I felt the heat of the fire on my face. Why didn't you die!_

_I didn't want to kill Paige, but you left me with no other choice. Now you know the lengths I'll go. Even if I have to kill the rest of the world, I'll get you. You don't want anymore people to die for you do you?_

_I'm coming for you. Theres nowhere to hide. Theres nowhere to run. Theres no one to run to. Nowhere is safe._

_Unfortunately for you, its too late to prevent more death. When you didn't die, you brought that investigator into this. Now, because of you, she has to die too._

_Everyone makes mistakes. Some more than others. You told me that. You just made too many mistakes and now they are going to cost you your own life. This time I'll get you._

_Third time lucky after all._

* * *

On the other side of the glass, Danny held his breath. Mac had shown him another copy of the note, and the relief that Danny had felt to find his Montana alive was rapidly disappearing. The man that they were after was clearly delusional. But it was clear that he wouldn't stop until he'd done what he said he would.

Sometimes Danny wished that Lindsay wasn't so brave. He could see it now, despite the fact her life was in danger, she was going to stick with the case. Just to make sure that the women in front of her didn't die. And he knew that Lindsay would risk her own life for this women.

Even if he asked her to stay away from the case, she wouldn't. Mac had already told him that she'd refused. And to be honest, he could see why. Not being on the case wouldn't make her any less of a target. It would be better for her to be aware of the developments of the case. But that didn't mean Danny had to like it. He knew that if anything happened to her, he'd never forgive himself for not being able to protect her.

But Danny also knew how important this case would become to Lindsay, even if she herself hadn't realised it yet. The girl, Annabel, had survived a crime, just in the way the Lindsay had, and that would bond them together in a way that would irreversible. Maybe even in a way that Danny wouldn't be able to match. But that didn't matter to him. All that mattered was keeping Lindsay safe.

* * *

When she'd finished reading, she looked up to find both detectives staring at her. She knew that there'd probably be even more watching her from behind the glass - like Detective Taylor, who'd left earlier. But now, as frightened and upset as she was, she knew that this time, it wasn't just her life on the line.

"Who was the investigator on the case?"

She watched as the two females detectives shared a look and then, Detective Monroe answered her,

"That would be me."

Annabel looked down once again, the guilt overwhelming her. Not just that Paige had died because of her past, but also because this women in front of her, that she didn't even know, was in danger too. Because of her.

* * *

Seeing the guilt across her face, Stella interrupted.

"We are very sorry that it has come to this. But it has, and now we need to prevent him from hurting you or anyone else. We need to know as much as possible about this guy so that we have every chance of catching him before he hurts somebody."

Annabel steeled herself. She knew that now, after 6 years, she had to talk about what she promised herself she would never talk about again. If she didn't, people would die.

"What do you want to know?"

Lindsay, relieved that the girl was determined to help, jumped in

"How do you know Derek, Annabel?"

Annabel let out a laugh, one that sounded both bitter and resentful. This caught the detectives, even the ones behind the mirror, by surprise. They had expected any answer but this.

Annabel clearly picked up on this, and decided to change her answer.

"He's my ex-boyfriend."

* * *

_Please review - it only takes a sec!! Hope you enjoyed this._


	4. Chapter 4

_I do not own CSI or any of the characters other than Annabel and Derek._

_Hope you enjoy this next installment. All mistakes are mine._

_WARNING: this chapter refers to both suicide and depression - if you don't like, don't read. If i offend anyone i apologise in advance, this is all entirely fictional_

_But thank you all for your reviews so far - they've given me the confidence to carry on :)_

* * *

As soon as she said "ex boyfriend", every CSI thought, of course. Nowadays, if someone tried to kill someone else, it was usually due to a failed relationship. But it had been a long time since they had seen one individual so focused on killing someone for a failed relationship.

Lindsay was the first to recover.

"Annabel, what happened between the two of you that made him want you dead so badly?"

Annabel sighed. She knew, that for what she was about to say to make sense, she needed to start at the beginning, even if that hadn't been the focus of the detectives question. She told herself, its now or never - after 6 years, she couldn't hide behind her secret anymore.

"I'm going to have to start at the beginning, or this won't make sense."

Both Stella and Lindsay nodded at her in support, for the both could tell that Annabel really wasn't looking forward to talking about this man, the man who had cut her friend's life so short, and tried to cut her own life short.

"I met Derek when I was 16. I'd never had a boyfriend before, so when he started hitting on me, I felt really happy - someone was taking notice of me at last. All my mates had boyfriends, so I finally felt like I belonged. At first, he was really sweet, buying me things, taking me out. I thought he was great." Annabel took a deep breath, before resuming her story.

"After a while, things began to change. Derek had problems - not with drugs or anything like that. But he had a severe depression. After a few months of dating, he started talking about how he couldn't live without me, how he'd die if I ever left him or if something ever happened to me. It began to get really disconcerting, but by that time, I couldn't leave, I couldn't walk away, as much as I wanted to. He'd become suicidal, and I wasn't about to become the reason that he died. But I felt so trapped. He wouldn't let me talk about it to my friends, he hated it when I went out."

"You have to understand, at the time, I had loads of male friends, guys that I grew up with. And Derek hated that. He hated being someone who couldn't share in my old memories, so he'd demand that I only saw him, so that only he would be a part of my new memories. But I refused to do that - my friends were my whole life. And Derek never understood that. He'd accuse me of flirting with them, of preferring them, even once accusing me of sleeping with them. I felt like I was suffocating."

"Eventually, Derek turned around and told me that if I didn't stop seeing the guys, that he would finish with me. And I once again refused to stop seeing them. He couldn't go through with his threat, but a week or so after, he … he tried to kill himself. He didn't manage it but he came close. And he told me, he told me that it was my fault, he wanted to die because of me and what I refused to do for him. He didn't see it as a big deal, he said it was only one thing that he asked of me, and the fact I couldn't do it proved that I didn't want to be with him. So he broke up with me, then and there in the hospital."

"It felt strange to be single again, but it felt so much better. My mates were so supportive and after a while, the guilt of being responsible disappeared. I knew deep down it wasn't my fault but being told that someone would rather be dead than be with you…it hurts."

"He contacted me a few months later. He said that he was sorry, that he hadn't meant what he said, that he wanted me back. And I wouldn't do it. I didn't want him, and besides I was seeing a guy who lived round the corner from me. When Derek found out he went ballistic. He tried everything he could to get the guy to stop seeing me, and it worked. I found out later that Derek had threatened to kill him if he didn't break it off. But when I found out, I refused to even talk to him. I told him I never wanted to see him again, that he'd hurt me too much, and there was absolutely no way that I would ever date him again. I wouldn't answer the door when he came round, I wouldn't pick up the phone if he rang, I wouldn't answer his emails. Eventually, it seemed that he'd given up, and that he was finally going to leave me alone."

Annabel paused for breath again, and closed her eyes as if to shield herself from what had happened or what was about to come. It seemed for a while that she had finished her story, so Lindsay was about to ask her the next question, when Annabel once again started to talk.

"I really honestly thought that it was over, that he would leave me alone," She carried on, in a voice that was almost a whisper. "But I was wrong. One day I got a letter in the post. It wasn't signed or anything, but I knew it was from him."

Stella jumped in "What did the note say?"

Annabel winced, as if the memory caused her physical pain, and she screwed her eyes shut, trying to prevent the tears from falling once again. "It said _'You had your chance bitch. If I can't have you then no one will. This ends now.'"_

"Obviously, I told my mates and the police. The police went looking for him, but he seemed to have disappeared off of the face of the planet. My mates spent their free time with me, as if being with me would save me from the mad man I'd once dated. Then one night, we went out to the local club, to celebrate my friend Tiffany's birthday. We all had a little too much to drink and when we left it was freezing, so we decided to walk, as if the cold would help us deal with the inevitable hangover. We made to my street, as I was the first one to be dropped off, and I insisted I could walk the 10 metres to my door by myself. My friends started to walk off, and as I was looking in my bag for my keys, someone came out of the bushes next to my garden. I don't really remember much after that, but all I know is that there was this searing pain in my stomach, and I let out a scream. Everything after that is just flashes of memories."

"I woke up in hospital 3 days later. Tiffany and Paige were by my bedside, and they told me that I'd been stabbed. The police thought it had been Derek but he was still missing. They never caught him. After that night, I never went anywhere alone, until I received another note in the post, about a month after the stabbing. The identical note as before. I almost died from fear right then. Paige called the police, and they decided that it was too dangerous for me to carry on living in South Carolina. So they decided to re-locate me to New York. I thought I was safe. And I never told anybody about what happened. I went to university, trained to be a lawyer, tried to carry on with my life. I managed it for 5 1/2 years. Until…"

"Until he ran you off of the road." Stella finished the story for her.

"That's what he meant by third time lucky." Lindsay thought aloud.

Annabel just nodded and hung her head, as if the whole mess was her fault. Then she frowned, before asking "That's why he killed Andrew isn't it? To pass the message on?"

"It looks that way." Lindsay answered, knowing full well that Annabel would now be feeling even worse - she thought that he was dead because of her and her past. Which to an extent was true, but this didn't mean Annabel was to blame. Lindsay looked at the devastated women in front of her, and promised that they would get this guy. If they didn't, she didn't think Annabel would survive. If Derek didn't kill her, then the guilt and fear would.

* * *

_Please review - it helps me think. Thanks for reading so far :)_


	5. Chapter 5

_CSI NY is the property of CBS not me (unfortunately). Same disclaimer as in all previous chapters_

_One thing, whilst writing this, I've noticed that I'm talking more about Annabel than I am about Danny and Lindsay. Just so you know, this is intentional - i need to do this to get where i need to go (this will change later on), but to make up for it I am going to try and slip in as many D/L chapters as i can within reason. If you think that I need to do more scenes with D/L, let me know and i'll shift the story around a bit to make it more balanced._

_Thanks for reading - please carry on reviewing, and thanks to all those that have reviewed so far - your great!_

* * *

After Annabel finished her story, the room was quiet for a long time. Even behind the glass. The CSI's had seen a lot of pain, and had seen a lot of death in their line of work. They'd each had that case that haunted them, the case that involved them in a way that they couldn't escape. Now Lindsay was involved, and every second that passed reminded them of how much danger she was in.

* * *

Danny and Mac stood behind the glass, trying to absorb the extent of what Annabel had said, looking for something that could lead them to their killer. Derek was easily capable of taking out both Annabel and Lindsay in one go, and they needed to catch up with him before he had that chance. Both looked up when the door to the room opened and both Flack and Hawkes walked in. Mac had informed them both of the situation, and both had hurried back from their scene to help. Mac repeated the essence of what Annabel had just told them. Flack was the first one to talk.

"Mac, I don't think that a police guard is actually going to be of any help. If this guy has been watching Annabel for months then he has a head-start and probably knows things about Annabel or where she lives that we don't."

"I agree, but what are we going to do for them both? We can't let Annabel go home, and as this guy has indicated Lindsay too, then it probably isn't safe for her to go home either. Which means that Danny, you can't go home either - you live with Lindsay, and this guy is willing to kill everyone who gets in his way."

Mac waited for Danny to absorb this information before continuing.

"I think the safest option right now is keeping you guys in the lab. At least until we can set you up somewhere else that we're sure is safe. That means all three of you. Are you ok with that?"

"Do we have a choice? I'm not risking Lindsay so right now I'll take the option that keeps her the safest." Danny replied.

"Sounds like someone's in love" joked Flack

"So what if I am. Lindsay is in danger. And I'm going to protect her even if I have to sacrifice my own life. She is my world and without her I don't know what I'd do."

Danny's words shocked everyone in the room. They'd never expected Danny Messer, the play-boy of the New York crime lab to fall in love, never mind being willing to risk his own life to protect someone else's. Mac smirked, then decided the relieve the awkward silence.

"Right ok, well, we'll inform Stella and Lindsay of whats going on. Obviously, you and Lindsay, Danny, will need to go and collect some stuff so I'll come with you to your apartment. Flack, Hawkes, I want you two and Stella to go with Annabel back to her place to pick some of her things up, as well as anything that she might have that will help us track this guy. We'll meet back upstairs in the lab later, got it?"

Hawkes and Flack nodded, and the four men left the room to explain the situation to the girls in the interview room.

But before they left, Flack couldn't help but poke fun at Danny, despite the seriousness of the situation.

"Messer's in love"

"What are you, in 4th grade?"

"No, but never did I think I'd see the day that Danny Messer fell in love. I think I'm feeling a little faint."

"Oh ha ha. Well you know what, I've still yet to see the day that Don Flack fell in love." Danny shot back, enjoying the look to cross Flack's face. It reminded him of a time where teasing was about the worst life got.

"Your just a bunch of laughs aren't you?"

"Yep, and don't you forget it."

* * *

Annabel looked up to see 4 men enter the room. She recognised Detective Taylor, but the other three where strangers to her, which made her immediately suspicious of them. Ever since Derek had flipped out on her all those years ago, Annabel had had trouble trusting people. But for some reason that ahs couldn't explain, she trusted the two females detectives.

Despite not knowing the other 3 men, she did notice that one, with glasses and short brown hair, walked immediately over to Detective Monroe and squeezed her shoulder. Detective Monroe looked up and smiled, before turning her attention back to her boss. She also didn't miss the look that crossed one of the other detectives face when this happened - she noticed the smirk that crossed his face, and then the scowl that crossed the other man's face. She pondered this before turning her attention back to Detective Taylor.

Annabel listened with resignation as Mac, as he preferred to be called, told her of what was happening. She wasn't allowed to go anywhere alone until the situation was resolved and until they found a safe place for her to stay, she had to stay in the lab. She had to admit that would be kinda cool but she listened with a heavy heart - Annabel had greatly valued her freedom that she had gained since she moved from South Carolina where no one knew her, and to lose that freedom was a great blow to her. She knew that this was for her safety, but since Paige had died, she'd lost all ability to care about herself or her own life. She told herself that if she couldn't do this for herself, then she'd do it for Detective Monroe, who didn't deserve her life to be cut short because she was doing her job.

What Annabel hadn't counted on, was that Detective Monroe didn't live alone. She lived with this Detective Messer, the guy she assumed was stood behind her chair. So by putting Detective Monroe's life in danger, she'd indirectly put him in danger too. She shivered, knowing that Derek had to be caught, or the loss of life would be terrible.

* * *

After Mac had explained what was going on, he, Lindsay and Danny left the room, presumably to go and pick up some things that Danny and Lindsay would need over the next few days. Stella looked at Annabel and saw that she was eying Hawkes and Flack suspiciously. Stella introduced them.

"Annabel, this is Detective Flack and Doctor Hawkes. They'll be accompanying us to your apartment."

All three Detectives could sense that although Stella worked with Hawkes and Flack, Annabel didn't automatically trust them. And Stella couldn't blame her. It was clear that Annabel would have trust issues, and they weren't about to be resolved by a title or recommendation.

* * *

She may not have trusted them, but she trusted Stella Bonasera. She decided that if Stella was friends with them, then they couldn't be that bad. Annabel studied them carefully. Both men had a kind face and were looking at her sympathetically, whilst talking to Stella. Stella had insisted that it was ridiculous to keep calling her Detective Bonasera, so instead insisted that Annabel called her by her given name. Annabel sighed. The two men were clearly here to help her, and the fact that they'd be going with her to her apartment, armed, made her feel much better. She relaxed slightly, and was aware that the detectives had noticed that.

* * *

Stella looked at her, and knew that Annabel had made up her mind to trust Flack and Hawkes, at least for now. Probably something to do with the fact they both had guns. She smiled slightly, before asking her last question.

"Annabel, do you have anything that Derek may have given you or anything that might help us trace him?"

Annabel looked deep in thought for a moment.

"Yes I do. I kept everything that he ever gave me. I'm not sure why…the whole idea of him gives me the creeps. It's all in a box in the back of my wardrobe."

"Ok then, lets go get it. We'll catch him Annabel, you don't need to worry about that."

Annabel wasn't worried about them catching him, but she did wonder if they would catch him in time, or whether it would be too late.

* * *

_Please review, it doesn't take long. Hope you enjoyed this part._


	6. Chapter 6

_Same disclaimer as before - i do not own csi or the characters_

_Here is one of the previously promised D/L chapters - i'm not 100 happy with it, but its the best i can do at this point in the story. Please let me know what you think - do Danny and Lindsay seem like a real couple?_

_Thanks again for reading and reviewing_

* * *

As they left the interview room, Mac turned and walked away from the other two CSI's. "I'm going to go and fetch my piece. I'll meet you two by the car."

Danny and Lindsay carried on outside, Danny's arm protectively around Lindsay's shoulders. Despite what Mac had said earlier, Danny wanted to talk to Lindsay himself about the case. As they reached the car, Danny steeled himself for the fight that would inevitably come from Lindsay - she wouldn't want to be taken off of the case now.

"I think you should be taken off of the case." Danny blurted out what he was thinking before he had a chance to moderate his thoughts.

Lindsay stopped walking abruptly. Danny winced as she looked at him with fiery eyes.

"What? Why?"

"Because it's too dangerous."

"Danny, in case you haven't noticed, this job is always dangerous."

"That might be true on the average case Montana, but how many times have you had your life directly threatened?"

"You mean before or after my friends were shot in the diner?" Lindsay struggled to keep her voice under control, but the emotions were beginning to get the better of her.

Danny winced again, and softened his tone before he started speaking again. "You know I didn't mean it like that."

"What is it Danny, do you think that I'm incapable of protecting myself? Is that it?"

"Dammit Lindsay, you know I don't think that! I am well aware that you are perfectly capable of looking after yourself."

"Well then what is it?" Lindsay demanded

"I don't want to see you get hurt! This guy wants you dead Lindsay. Dead! If he kills you…"

Lindsay silenced him with a finger on his lips. "Danny, listen to me. Yes this man wants me dead. But my life isn't the only one at stake here. And I can't just walk away. Not when this girl needs my help. I look at her, and I see myself. She shouldn't have to go through this alone. I did, and it took me years of pretending before I realised that I hadn't dealt with what happened. I'm not about to walk away from someone that I can help. This guy is going to try and kill me whether or not I am on this case. He wants me dead because of a case I already worked on. And we can't go back and change that."

"But…"

"No buts. This is just the way it is. And we have to deal with that."

Danny pulled Lindsay into a tight hug. He held her tightly, never wanting to let go. Lindsay sighed. She knew that Danny was scared. Not for his own life, buts hers. She'd seen it in his eyes. If she was being honest, she'd known this conversation was coming. She knew that Danny would never be happy if she did something that put her life in danger. But it was too late for that now.

* * *

Danny sighed. He'd known that Lindsay wouldn't back down, but he still felt he'd had to try. He couldn't even contemplate what he'd do if something happened to Lindsay. He swore to himself that he'd do everything it took to keep her safe. Because he knew that if something did happen to her, then his life wouldn't be worth living.

* * *

Once Mac had returned it didn't take long for them to arrive at Danny and Lindsay's apartment. After making sure that the place was indeed empty, Mac instructed Danny and Lindsay to pack things from their bedroom whilst he went and spoke to the doorman and the building manager, making sure that if Derek ever tried to enter the build in conventional methods, they'd let him know.

Meanwhile, Danny and Lindsay packed clothes and other necessities into a bag. Whilst Danny was in the bathroom, Lindsay sat down on their bed with her head in her hands. She was scared, she knew that and wasn't about to deny it. To herself anyway. Her thoughts turned to Annabel. How the girl had managed to live with the guilt she felt Lindsay didn't know. Despite being a survivor in her own right, she knew Annabel had been through much more than she had. And yet she still fought. Lindsay remembered after the murders of her friends, she hadn't wanted to do anything. She stayed in her room crying. Yet Annabel had lived through 2 murder attempts and the murder of both her friend and work colleague, and still she battled on.

Lindsay never questioned her own bravery - she knew that she'd coped as well as she could with the deaths of her friends, and she never downplayed what she'd felt. She knew that now, this girl that she didn't even know, needed her help, and even if that meant risking her own life, she'd try to help her with her demons. Whilst trying to hide from her own.

It was in the same position that Danny found her minutes later. He knew that Annabel reminded Lindsay of herself, and right now, Lindsay was going to be feeling her own guilt and pain from the death of her own friends, years before. Danny knew that Lindsay was hurting, and he also knew that there was nothing he could do to take away her pain. He'd tried to convince her to stay away from the case but it hadn't worked. Instead of trying to convince her further, he sat down on the bed next to her and pulled her into an embrace, because he knew there was truly nothing that he could say that would change her mind. He just held her, because that was all he could do. It was then that Lindsay began to cry, and instead of trying to get her to stop, Danny let her cry, because that's what she needed. They sat there for a long time, even after her tears dried, just being with each other.

"I'm scared Danny."

"Me too Lindsay. But you don't need to worry. I'll keep you safe."

"What if he hurts you Danny, to get to me? I'll never forgive myself."

"And if something happens to you because I'm not there, I'll never forgive myself. I'm not going anywhere. So don't even try and make me Montana, because that's a fight that you just can't win."

* * *

Mac stood outside their door, trying not to overhear their conversation and desperate not to ruin their moment. He knew when he returned to the car that they had had a heated discussion, but he stayed out of it, fully aware that it wasn't really any of his business. But now, listening to the conversation, Mac realised how much they needed each other. He now knew that Danny was the only one who Lindsay would ever admit weakness to, and that Danny would do anything to protect his Montana. He smiled - although the two CSI's could have their moments, he knew that they wouldn't be whole without each other. He wanted to promise them that it would all be ok, but he couldn't. So instead he let them have a moment, where they could just be with each other, before their relationship was marked by the uncertainty of what might happen.

* * *

_Please review and tell me what you think of this chapter - its not my best but i'd love to know how to make similar chapters better in the future. Just so you know, I'm going to flip back to Annabel for a while, just so that i can get to where i'm going. Please stick with it._

_I'd also love to know what you think about the Annabel part - does her character work?  
Thanks for reading!!_

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

_Thanks for reading guys! Please review as always, your comments make me smile._

_Again, i do not own CSI NY or the characters (apart from Annabel and Derek, who are in fact the property of my muse)_

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Flack and Stella entered Annabel's building. They had decided it would be better for them to go in first to secure the place, and also to ask the manager if he had seen Derek around at all. Whilst they went inside, Hawkes and Annabel waited in the car. Hawkes watched Annabel as she looked out of the window, clearly lost in her own thoughts. Hawkes had seen people like this before - had seen what the effects of stress could do to someone. And although he didn't know Annabel personally, he thought that she'd gone through too much in her life. Her short life, he added to himself. She was, he'd discovered, only 24. From the pain in her eyes, you would have expected her to be much older. It wasn't fair that she'd had to suffer this much.

Annabel sighed and turned to look at him, surprising him from his thoughts.

"Do you ever think this will be over, or will I be looking over my shoulder the rest of my life?" The resentment that this had to happen to her was obvious behind the pain, and Sheldon had to look away before replying.

"It will be over. There will be a day when you don't have to worry anymore, I can promise you that Annabel."

Annabel smiled. She liked the Doctor, despite being originally suspicious of him. She once again returned to looking out of the window, absorbed in her thoughts, until Hawkes' mobile went off. She heard him answer, but soon was distracted by a man standing across the street. She thought for a moment it was Derek, and her breathing went shallow, but once she'd blinked, she saw that it was just a man that looked similar. It wasn't Derek. She sighed, wondering if there would ever be a day where she didn't worry about whether he was following her, whether there'd be a day where she didn't feel guilty for Paige's death. Whether there'd be a day where she didn't see someone in the crowd that looked like Derek and panic. She hoped there would be such a day, but recently, she'd lost all hope of ever being able to live a normal life.

* * *

Stella and Flack were standing in the manager's office, showing him the picture of Derek that had been taken when he was caught 3 months back.

"Yeah, I have seen this man around. He came here 2 or 3 times last week, asking if Miss Fletcher was in, that he was her cousin, and had dropped around for a surprise visit. Even if she was in, I didn't let him up. He had that look, you know, shifty? I just told him that she was out at work, and that I didn't know where she worked. I could tell the guy didn't believe me, but I didn't relent. Miss Annabel is a nice girl, never any trouble. She had a horrible experience with her friend a few months back and ever since then she'd been really quiet. Sometimes her neighbours mention that they hear her screaming in her sleep, but we don't ask and she doesn't volunteer any information. We might be a close knit group detectives, but we recognise each other's privacy. All I can tell you is that this guy has been here, but he hasn't been upstairs as far as I'm aware."

Flack and Stella pondered this information, before Flask asked

"When was the last time he was here?"

"That would be about Friday last week - well at least the last time I saw him. I've been off for the last couple of days but I'm sure my wife would be able to tell you if he's been here recently. I would be able to tell you for certain but the security cameras that we have in the corridor were vandalised earlier that week, and the company can't get out to fix them until next Thursday. You can't get the help these days."

"Could we have a word with your wife?" Flack asked, "Just to make sure he hasn't been here since Friday?"

"Sure. Hang on while I fetch her."

A few minutes later, the manager returned with his wife. Flack took lead role again.

"Miss, do you recognise this man?"

"Sure I do, he was here this morning asking for Miss Annabel. Bout 10 minutes ago in fact."

Stella went pale, but before she could utter another word Flack jumped in.

"Did you let him up?" The urgency was evident in his voice.

"Course I didn't. I don't let anyone up without the owner's consent."

Stella relaxed slightly, but then realised they could have passed him in the corridor just minutes before. Damn she thought. She knew that she needed to get Annabel back to the lab as soon as possible - Derek could be watching her sitting outside this building right now.

"Ok, well thank you for the information. If you see him again, just tell him she's at work, and then could you give us a call?" Stella handed the manager her card.

"Of course. We'll ask the tenants to keep an eye out, none of us want to see any harm come to Miss Annabel."

* * *

Derek swore under his breath. He'd almost got himself caught. He should have known better than come back here so soon after he left the note on Andrew Gibson's body. He hurried down the street - although he'd seen Annabel in a car outside her building, she wasn't alone, and if he stayed where he was, the he'd be caught. For a minute, he thought she'd seen him. He couldn't afford to have her see him. If he did, the policeman in the car with her would surely chase him. He couldn't be caught. He needed to make Annabel pay. But he was running out of time.

* * *

On the way up to Annabel's apartment, Stella pulled out her phone and dialled Hawkes. Once he'd picked up, she told him what the managers had just said, and told him they would be out in 10 minutes tops. It was too dangerous for Annabel to come into the building, as Derek might be watching and waiting for her, so Stella and Flack would collect all of the necessities that Annabel needed for a few days, as well as the box with all the stuff from Derek. Annabel had told them the stuff was in a white box at the back of her cupboard, closed with sticky tape. Flack found it just where she'd told him she would and opened it, just to make sure that it hadn't been tampered with. Meanwhile Stella packed clothes and necessities into a plastic bag, as well as a photo that'd she'd found on the dresser - a photo of 12 girls, with Annabel in the centre, as their school prom, 5 years ago. She picked out Paige, the best friend that had died 3 months before, and sighed - it shouldn't have come to this.

* * *

Five minutes after Hawkes hung up the phone, Stella and Flack arrived back outside the car. Flack slid into the driver's seat, whilst Stella sat next to Annabel. She had asked Hawkes not to tell Annabel that Derek had been in her building - she thoughts it would be better if she told her herself. But when she did, she saw Annabel's eyes widen in alarm.

"But I thought I saw him. Stood over there!"

"Why didn't you say anything?" Hawkes questioned

"Because I have been 'seeing' Derek ever since I was 17 years old. I didn't think that I'd actually be seeing him, I thought it was my mind playing tricks…"

Hawkes softened slightly, and the three detectives shared a look.

"Which way did he go?"

"I don't know, he disappeared when I went to look back at him. But I think possibly that way." She pointed left.

Flack looked left. The street was one way. In the other direction. And Derek already had a head-start, with the added benefit (for him at least) of mid-day traffic on one of New York's busiest Streets. They wouldn't catch him. He'd slipped through their fingers a second time.

_I did say that this chapter was going to flip to Annabel, i hope you enjoyed it. I know I said it was a d/l fic, but that is coming i swear, just a few more chapters then i can focus on them more. Please keep reading!!_

_Thanks for reading again. I wanna personally thank you guys that have reviewed already - please keep any ideas/suggestions coming._


	8. Chapter 8

_I do not own CSI NY or and of the characters apart from Annabel and Derek._

_Please keep reading and reviewing, i'm a little stuck as how to continue._

The first ones to arrive back at the lab were Danny, Lindsay and Mac. After Danny and Lindsay had had some time by themselves, they came out. There was no sign that Lindsay had been crying, but Mac would have bet that she had. They got back to the lab in record time - for midday, traffic was remarkably light. But the others hadn't yet returned, and after half an hour, Lindsay began to worry - what was taking the others so long? As soon as she had that thought, she saw the elevator door open, and out came Stella, followed by Hawkes and Annabel.

"What the hell took you guys so long?" Lindsay tried to joke, but was unable to keep the worry out of her voice. Thankfully, only Stella picked up on it, and after giving her a reassuring glance, told them what had taken them so long - starting with the conversation with the managers, and finishing with the stopping off at the precinct so that Flack could issue an Be On The Lookout.

Since they had got to the lab, Annabel had been remarkably quiet. She could feel the eyes of the lab techs on her as she walked through the corridors - obviously, the techs weren't used to random members of the public walking through the lab.

* * *

The team met in Mac's office, and waited patiently for Mac to return. When he did, he was followed by Adam and Sid, two valued members of the team who rarely left the safety of the lab. Mac drew the blinds and introduced Annabel to Adam and Sid.

"Annabel" Mac said once the introductions had been taken care of, "These people in this room are the people that I trust most with a case. I only want you to talk to these people in here about the case- it's safer that way. All of the team have been warned about Derek and will be on the lookout. Now I do know that this situation isn't ideal. Not just for you, but for everyone else. From this point onwards, Lindsay you are restricted to lab work, for your own safety. I do not want you out in the field until this is over or until there is one very demanding crime scene that requires all of us. I want no arguments." Mac watched as Lindsay's face fell, he knew how much she hated lab work. "Therefore Adam," Mac continued, turning towards the nervous lab tech " It may be necessary for you to do some field work. Is that ok? Good." he finished before Adam had a chance to reply.

"Danny I want you to keep a close watch on Lindsay until this is over, and if anything happens, no matter how small, you will tell me immediately." Mac knew that no matter what he said to Danny, Danny would do everything it took to protect Lindsay, even if that meant disobeying orders.

"Finally, Annabel, it is too dangerous for you to go to work at the moment, and I have already spoke to your boss, who agrees. Any work that can be done by phone is fine, as long as it is conducted from one of the phones within the lab - we can't take any chances with Derek tracing the call. From this point on, you can go anywhere in the lab as long as you tell someone where you are going and as long as someone will go with you. " Mac watched Annabel's face fall, just like Lindsay's had moments before - he could tell that she was an independent spirit but this was for her safety, as it was for the safety for everyone in the lab.

Satisfied that everything that needed to be said had been said, Mac sent Adam and Sid back to their jobs.

"From now, I want everyone to use extreme caution, especially those who are in the field. This man is incredibly dangerous and will take anyone out who he thinks may be a threat to his mission. I want you all armed and alert at all times, even when in the lab. Just in case."

* * *

After his speech, Mac sent everyone to work on processing both the case of Andrew Gibson and the box of stuff that Annabel had supplied. Once he'd sent them on their way, he asked Annabel to stay behind. He knew that Annabel was going to become very bored over the next few days. Or she'd just withdraw into her memories, which they couldn't let happen. Annabel wouldn't be of any use to anyone if she wasn't able to function properly.

"Annabel, have you ever fired a gun?"

Annabel looked up in surprise. When Mac had asked her to stay behind, she thought he'd be giving her something to do so she wouldn't go mad with boredom. Or another lecture on how important it was for her to stay with someone at all times. She mentally gave herself a slap - Mac wasn't lecturing her, he was just ensuring that she'd be safe.

"No I can't say I have. Well apart from a paintball gun when I was 15. Why?"

"Then we need to set you up with one."

Annabel laughed, shocked.

"You can't be serious."

"I haven't been more serious in a long time. Despite the precautions we've put in place, sometimes things happen that we don't expect, and we need you to be ready for that. Your life may depend on it." As soon as he said that, Annabel sobered up.

"How was your aim?"

"What, with the paintball gun? Dreadful. Actually, that's probably because I was cowering away from my friend Abigail , who was absolutely terrifying. Screaming swear words at every opportunity. But no, my aim was awful". Annabel smiled at the memory - Abigail may have been terrifying but that sure made things more funny. The opposing team had had no chance.

Mac smiled as she reminisced - at least there were still some memories that were untainted by the hell she'd been put through. That was something to be glad about - despite the greatly aged women within Annabel, there was still a small part of her that remembered her innocence and allowed her to block out the horrors of reality.

* * *

"Are you sure that this is a good idea? I have awful aim and I don't want to hit anyone." Annabel was having reservations about agreeing to some gun practise with Detective Flack. She didn't told anyone, but she didn't feel that she needed the lessons - she'd taken some self-defence classes after the accident, when she was able to move properly. She'd spent most of her free time in private lessons, just in case she ever needed to defend herself. Then again, she reasoned, kicks and punches won't stop an incoming bullet. That last thought made Annabel queasy, and as a solution, she focused all of her attention on the gun she held in her hand and what Flack was telling her.

"Of course this is a good idea. You have to be able to defend yourself or get yourself out of a difficult situation, just in case one of us aren't with you. Besides, you can apply this to your life afterwards - New York can be a dangerous place."

If I have a life after this, Annabel thought before she could stop herself. Then she shook her head to get rid of the thought, and did what Flack told her to.

Once they had gone through the basics of loading the gun, and cocking the pistol, he showed her how to aim. He shot 3 times, each shot piercing the paper person around the heart. Annabel watched in admiration. She didn't think she'd ever be able to get an aim as good as that. She hoped that she wouldn't have to.

"Now your turn."

Annabel stood up and moved to the stand. Her hands were shaking - one wrong move and she could kill someone. She waited until Flack had retreated to a safe distance, and aimed her first shot.

It went wide of the mark.

Shaking her head, she tried again. She tried to relax her muscles and carefully aimed the gun once again at the paper figure. This time, she got the arm. She sighed - at least she was improving slightly. Shooting the perp's arm would be much better than shooting an innocent civilian 3 feet away.

The third time she tried, she tried to imagine herself in a situation with Derek. She felt the pain and guilt rise in her, but she turned these feelings into anger and hatred. She imagined the paper person was Derek. She told herself she was doing it for Paige. She shot again.

This time she got him in the head.

* * *

Please review, it doesn't take long :)

* * *


	9. Chapter 9

_Here is the next part of the story. I hope you like it._

_CSI NY is not mine, as much as i wish it was._

_If you have any ideas or such, let me know. Enjoy!_

* * *

Later that day, Annabel sat on the floor in Danny and Lindsay's office. Seeing as they would be practically living with each other for the next few days, titles were inconvenient. First names were much easier, and made Annabel feel slightly more comfortable about her imposition. Both of the two adults realised that Annabel probably wouldn't want to talk about the case, so after her shooting lesson, they'd set her up with a TV and the re-runs of _Friends_. Mindless entertainment was just what Annabel needed to relieve the tension. Both Danny and Lindsay were on the clock that afternoon, and both needed to do paperwork, so they'd moved briefly into Stella and Hawkes' office whilst they were in the field.

Annabel sat by herself all afternoon, watching repeat after repeat. She'd seen them all before, but she needed the distraction. But by the 8th episode, she was beginning to become restless. Her bag was on the floor next to her, and whilst the adverts were on, she reached into her bag to see what Stella had packed for her. Her hand brushed against something solid, something that definitely wasn't an article of clothing. She pulled the object out, and found that Stella had thoughtfully packed her prom photo from 5 years ago.

As Annabel looked at the photo, she silently identified all of her friends. Abigail, with her straight platinum blonde hair and deep blue eyes, and a tenacity the surprised most. Lily, petite but with a determination that held the group together. Courtney, who always made her laugh. Tiffany, with her shining ginger hair, to match her shining and caring personality. Sophie, who went out of her way to help anyone who needed it. Joyce, the shop-a-holic and the biggest show collection known to man. Lacy, who stood up for any of her friends who were in trouble. Lucy and Amy, the twins who always kept any secrets they were told. And Carrie, the quiet but lovable friend who was smart and witty, who always kept surprising the others with what she said.

Despite what had happened, they had remained close friends, and although it had been too dangerous to visit Annabel after Paige's death, they remained in contact. They refused to let her believe that it was her fault. She didn't know what she would do without them, and was terrified that Derek would target them, the people that she needed most.

Annabel's eyes flicked around the photo once more, deep in thought, but her eyes filled with tears as they landed on Paige. Paige had been beautiful, with her long and curly chestnut brown hair and her sparkling green eyes framed by eyelashes that were naturally so long. She remembered being so jealous of Paige - she'd have given anything to have those eyes. Now she'd have given anything just to get Paige back, even just for a little while. She needed to tell her how sorry she was, how she didn't think it would come to this, how she wished she'd died instead of Paige.

Even three months after the accident, Annabel still couldn't believe that Paige was really gone. How someone with such a friendly and caring personality could be under 6ft of ground. It wasn't fair. It was such a waste when a young life is lost, but it becomes even more of a waste when someone fun-loving died over someone with so much excess baggage. She hated Derek for killing Paige. He said he didn't want to kill her, but if that was true, then he would have picked a moment when Annabel was alone. No, Derek had wanted to kill Paige. Just to hurt her, to make her hate herself than she already did.

The tears began to flow. It seemed to be all Annabel did these days, crying. But she couldn't help it - Paige was dead because Derek wanted to hurt Annabel. Killing Paige was just a necessity. And that hurt even more, to tell Paige's family that their daughter or sister or cousin died because the best friend she was with had a dangerous past. She'd seen the look in their eyes, no matter how hard they tried to deny it - they wished that Annabel had died instead of Paige. If Annabel had died all those years ago when she was stabbed then Paige wouldn't have been killed in the car wreck intended to kill Annabel. More than once Annabel had considered ending it on her own terms. But then she thought about how Paige would have hated her for throwing her life away when Paige's had been so cruelly taken away. No, Annabel wasn't just living for herself anymore. She was living for Paige.

* * *

Lindsay watched from outside the door. She could see that Annabel was dying inside, from the pain and the guilt. And Lindsay knew that there was nothing that anyone could do to ease her pain. Instead, she went inside and put her arms around the sobbing girl on the floor, who looked like she wanted to just crawl into a ball and stay that way forever. Lindsay felt her own eyes fill as Annabel cried - Annabel had never asked for this and yet this was what she had been given to make of her life. Lindsay knew firsthand that the pain of losing someone you loved so suddenly would never completely disappear - she would always have a special place in her heart where her friends would remain, and the gap that they had filled would always be empty, but Lindsay told herself that she was living life for all of them now, not just herself, just as Annabel had told herself moments before.

Lindsay looked out of the window, swearing quietly to herself that they would catch the guy who did this to an innocent women. At that moment, her concern wasn't for her own life. It was for the girl in front of her, who'd had her entire world taken away from her, just as she's had her life taken away from her all those years earlier.

* * *

Danny looked up to see where Lindsay had gone - she said she was only going to get a stapler. He hadn't wanted her to go alone, but she just shook her head and told him he was being silly - she'd be gone 5 minutes at the most. She'd been gone 15. He knew that she valued her personal space, but he couldn't help worrying about her. He didn't want anything to happen to her. And as much as he hated to admit it, Annabel wasn't really in his thoughts at all. He knew that she should be, she was in as much danger, but Danny just couldn't accept that fact that someone wanted Montana, his Montana, dead. He shivered at the thought. He was terrified of losing Lindsay. But he didn't know how to keep her safe without her protesting that she was able to take care of herself.

He was becoming increasingly restless about the fact Lindsay hadn't returned yet, but to calm himself down, he glanced through the window towards their shared office, just as a reminder that there was such a thing as Danny and Lindsay. He was surprised to see Lindsay sat on the floor, with her arms around a crying Annabel. Lindsay herself was crying silently.

Danny could tell that the nosy lab techs were wondering what was going on. He got up and made his way over to the office, where he entered and shut the door. Then he silently closed the blinds. Lindsay looked up at him gratefully - Annabel didn't seem to notice his arrival, but Lindsay needed Danny to help her keep Annabel's secret a secret. Danny came and sat down on the floor next to Lindsay, still not saying anything, but his gaze told her that he would stay there as long as she needed him to. Screw the paperwork. Lindsay smiled at him - despite everything, no matter what situation she was in, he always made her feel better. She couldn't imagine her life without him anymore. She knew Danny was worried about her, and she knew that he'd have been able to help her more if he had been in the field- but Mac had realised that Lindsay would need Danny around, and told him that for the next few days, he should catch up on paperwork. And she was grateful for that - she knew that if he was in the field she wouldn't be able to concentrate out of worry - if Derek had been watching her, he no doubt would have realised that Danny meant more than the world to her. And if he wanted to hurt Lindsay for convicting him, there was no better way to hurt her than take away the one thing that sometimes was all life was worth living for.

* * *

On the other side of town, Stella, Hawkes and Flack were processing a scene where a young women had been found floating in the east river. As much as they wanted to devote all of their time to saving Lindsay and Annabel, the world continued turning, and murderers didn't stop killing just because it was an inconvenience. Once they'd processed around the scene, they sent divers in to rescue the body. When the divers returned, they laid the body out on the floor, where Hawkes pointed out bruising around the neck.

"She's been strangled. Looks like it was done the old fashioned way, with bare hands."

Stella looked at the young women, who reminded her so much of Annabel. She shook her head and went to move the hair from across the young woman's face. Once she had, she stood back to take a proper look at the victim. Then she froze. Despite the fact it was dark, she could still recognise the identity of the young women. This did not go by unnoticed. Hawkes looked up puzzled, whilst Flack asked,

"Stell, do you know this woman?"

"Yeah. She's one of the girls on Annabel's prom photo. This is Annabel's friend Tiffany."

* * *

_Yes I know, its cruel to leave it on a cliffhanger like that. But keep reading! More angst is on the way._

_How about you review, then i might be more inclined to update sooner. :p_

_Thanks for reading and reviewing so far. At some point i will reply to the reviews but at the moment i am a little swamped with revision for exams._


	10. Chapter 10

_I said i'd try_ _to update as soon as possible, and i just happened to come across this file on my computer. The next one might be a little longer in coming, but please keep reading and reviewing._

_I want to say a big thank you to the following: _Dark Thorned Rose, xbexyboox, Katsumi Nara, Booth-Bones4life, Montana08, webdlfan, Patry Trusky and laughter.in.the.best.medicine _for your reviews - please keep them coming, i loved reading them!_

_Also i want to thank those who have alerted or favourited._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

"Annabel, could you come into my office please? Lindsay, Danny, you too." Mac lead them into his office, looking grave. He indicated that they should sit down.

"What is it Mac?" Lindsay asked, fully aware that the look of his face was never a good thing.

"The body that Stella and Hawkes went to process this afternoon. We have an identity."

"Well that's good right?" Danny looked confused - the identity of the vic was always the first step towards finding out who had killed them.

"Usually you would be right Danny. But under these circumstances, the vic is especially important."

Annabel watched the scene in front of her, suspicious. She wasn't a CSI, so unless the 'circumstances' involved her, she wouldn't be allowed to listen in on the conversation. She began to get a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, and she dreaded to know who the victim was. But she couldn't stop herself from listening.

Mac gave a sympathetic look in Annabel's direction before saying "The victim is Tiffany Walker."

That one name sent Annabel's emotions into spirals.

"No" she whispered "Your wrong. You have to be."

"I'm sorry Annabel, but the victim is definitely Tiffany."

Annabel squeezed her eyes shut, as her emotions threatened to overrule her control. Danny and Lindsay shared a confused look - obviously this was bad news to Annabel, but the name Tiffany didn't ring any bells. Until Lindsay looked back on the conversation they had had earlier that morning.

"Tiffany, as in the Tiffany who's birthday party you went to before you got stabbed? Tiffany, the one who stayed with you in the hospital until you woke from your coma?" Lindsay now understood by Annabel was reacting the way she was. Tiffany had been one of Annabel's best friends.

Annabel nodded, trying to remain under control, but failing. Her face was white, she was shaking and she was trying desperately to keep herself from breaking down into tears. Eventually the tears began anyway, and they made silent tracks across Annabel's face.

"Oh my god. Annabel, I'm so sorry." Lindsay sat down next to Annabel and tried to squeeze one of her hands. But she couldn't, as they were already stiff from the shutdown of Annabel's emotions. Lindsay stood up again and walked over the Mac, Danny in tow. Lindsay cast a glance at Annabel, who was sitting silently on the couch, before turning to Mac and whispering

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"Positive, Stella ID'd her from the prom photo she took from Annabel's apartment."

The crash of the door broke them from their conversation. All three detectives whipped around to find that Annabel had gone, and as they looked around wildly, they saw her running for the stairs. They started to run after her, but she'd had the head-start and was faster, which was surprising to both men, who'd always thought of themselves faster than the general public.

"Annabel! Annabel!"

"Mac" Lindsay yelled "We've got to catch her! Before she does something really stupid."

So all three detectives chased after Annabel, each silently praying that she wouldn't do anything to herself or anyone else, and that they would catch up with her before she hit the street. But to their surprise, Annabel ran up the stairs.

"Oh my god, Mac. She might jump!"

* * *

Annabel ran, tears pouring down her face and blurring her vision. She kept of running, regardless of the people running after her, begging her to stop. She couldn't believe that he'd gone after Tiffany. Tiffany, the only one who'd ever been supportive of their relationship. Tiffany who couldn't hurt anyone.

Now not only was she to blame for Paige's death, she was certain that she was also responsible for Tiffany's. The logical part of her brain told her that they didn't know that Derek had killed Tiffany, but the pain and grief tore through Annabel so that she no longer thought logically.

She was surprised that she was still running. Why she was running upwards, she didn't know. She just knew that she had to run.

Annabel burst onto the terrace roof of the crime lab. She looked around wildly, realising there was nowhere else for her to run, other than off of the building. Instead of running, Annabel stopped and gazed upwards towards the sky.

"Why" she yelled at no one in particular "Why did you do it? Why did you let her die? Why did you kill her? She never did anything to you! Why are you doing this to me? I HATE YOU!" she screamed at the stars. "I HATE YOU!" Then she collapsed onto the floor, her body unwilling to support her, as her chest wracked with sobs and she began to cry harder, not caring anymore what people thought of her.

"Why didn't you take me instead?"

* * *

Behind her, unnoticed, stood the three detectives. The sight before them was heartbreaking. Mac hung his head, unable to look at the girl that he had promised it would be ok. Lindsay's eyes filled with tears, and they fell silently down her face as she watched Annabel cry. But she only half saw Annabel. She saw herself, saw the younger version of her crying her eyes out in her bedroom back in Montana after the shooting of her friends. She saw herself at the funerals of the friends who would never have the chance to grow up. She saw herself at the cemetery screaming at the dirt. Eventually, Lindsay's memories merged with Annabel's and they both cried for the friends they had lost, their lost innocence and they cried for not being able to do anything to prevent it. Lindsay had to turn away, taking comfort in Danny's arms, as her held her tightly while she cried. He rubbed her hair and whispered that it would be ok. Lindsay thought to herself, no it won't be ok, not for Annabel. But she didn't say it aloud. Nothing she said would be able to help anyone right now.

* * *

_Come on, review, you know you want to. If you get me up to 25 reviews, which isn't much, then i'll update again. Sound fair?_

_All mistakes are mine. If you have any suggestions let me know._


	11. Chapter 11

_I'm back again with another chapter. I hope you enjoy it_

_Just so you all know, I had a lot of trouble writing this chapter, but thats because i know what i want to write, i just don't know how to get there. Moving from point A to B if difficult so please bare with me. I would love to know what you think - PLEASE REVIEW!_

_Once again, i do not own csi ny or the characters apart from annabel, derek, tiffany and paige, which are the creations of my muse_

* * *

Lindsay stared at the computer screen with increasing frustration. Nothing. No foreign trace, no fibres, no hairs, no nothing. It was all she could do to not hit the computer. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. It had been 3 days since Tiffany Walker had been murdered, and they had nothing that would leave them to their killer. Everyone knew Derek had killed her, they just couldn't prove it.

Opening her eyes, she gazed towards her office and makeshift bedroom. She located Annabel sat on the floor, eyes staring blankly at nothing. Lindsay sighed. Ever since they'd found Annabel on the roof, she'd withdrawn into her shell. She wouldn't talk to anybody, even Lindsay, she wouldn't eat, she couldn't sleep. All she'd done is stare blankly at the wall. It was if she'd given up the fight.

Lindsay knew firsthand the pain that Annabel was going through, and it hurt her immensely to not be able to help. Annabel refused to talk to anyone about what had happened, and Lindsay knew that if she was pushed, Annabel would just remain in her shell, hiding from everyone. Yet Lindsay found it hard to ignore the tears that never seemed to leave, to ignore the sobbing at night. To ignore the pain Annabel was feeling.

She sighed, before returning her gaze to the computer that seemed to be becoming more uncooperative. She hoped that Annabel would come and talk to her when she was ready. That was all she could do. Hope that things would get better. For herself, as she really resented having no freedom anymore, and for the girl that she now considered as a friend.

* * *

Danny, hearing Lindsay's sigh, looked up. He saw her gazing towards Annabel, and he saw the pain in Lindsay's eyes. She was in pain because she couldn't help Annabel. He returned to looking through the microscope, leaving Lindsay to her thoughts, until her heard a loud thump. He jumped. Looking around wildly for the source of the noise, he found Lindsay cradling her hand, apparently having finally hit the computer.

"Dammit, there's nothing! Theres nothing here!"

"I know this is frustrating, but is hitting the computer such a good idea?" Danny smiled slightly, hoping that she would realise he was joking. Lindsay graced him with a small smile, and he walked over and pulled her into a hug.

"Hitting the computer is the only way I can express my frustration, without turning it on an actual person. Unless you're volunteering?" Lindsay looked up to meet his eyes and smirked.

Danny knew firsthand that Lindsay could hit pretty hard when she wanted to. "No no, that's quite all right. I think the computer can take the occasional whack. Although if you break it, you're on your own. I ain't forking out for the cost of that thing. And I certainly ain't explaining to Mac why its broken." Both of them laughed, thankful for the brief moment they could just live, without having to worry or hide. But they stopped laughing pretty quickly, the seriousness of the situation setting in again.

"I just feel so helpless. I want to help her, but I can't. I don't know how. She doesn't want to talk about it yet and the one thing that I can do" she waved her hands around, gesturing at the lab "isn't getting me anywhere. There is nothing here that's going to help us find Derek."

Danny grabbed her hands before she put any of the lab equipment out of use. " I know. I know that you feel helpless. But unless Annabel is willing to talk to us, there isn't much we can do right now, except keep looking. We'll find something."

"How can you be so sure that we'll find something?"

"Because we have to."

* * *

Later that afternoon, the team gathered in Mac's office, each hoping that the other had found something that would point them in the right direction. The situation was taking it's toll on the team - between trying to find Derek and protecting Lindsay and Annabel, they had found little time to sleep off their exhaustion, and it showed. Lindsay, Stella and Danny were seated on the sofa, Mac was seated at his desk, Flack was seated in front of Mac's desk and Hawkes was leaning on the door frame. Annabel remained absent.

"So did anybody find anything?" Mac asked, leaning on his hand, desperate to find something, anything that would help them.

"Nothing on the clothes. Nothing in the bag, other than a cell phone and a purse, which were clean, although Hawkes took a closed look at the phone." Lindsay began

Hawkes took over almost as soon as she had finished. "I checked the phone for messages and calls. The message inbox was wiped clean, and even Adam couldn't find and fragments of messages. The calls on the other hand were interesting. I found 8 calls all placed from a withheld number between last week and the time of the murder. They only lasted 5 seconds each, and as far as I can tell, Tiffany never placed a call to this number - she just received the calls."

"I'm trying to track down the number which the calls came from, but the phone company is being extremely difficult, and is insisting on a subpoena before they even begin to try and access the number, which in itself could take a while because it was withheld." Flack continued "But I'm working on it as fast as I can, and I'll let you know as soon as I have something."

"Right, well at least we have something to go on until we get something else. This guy is a professional, and he knows what he is doing, but we just have to hope he makes a mistake. I just hope we don't have to find any more of Annabel's friends to catch this guy.

The room filled with an uneasy silence. Each one was thinking that if they didn't get this guy soon, it wouldn't be one of Annabel's friends they found - it would be Annabel or Lindsay.

"How is she?" The question came from Mac

Stella sighed. As everyone else had been in the lab, she'd taken on the job of trying to get Annabel to talk. "I don't know. She is obviously taking this badly, and I know she thinks that this is all her fault. But she did start talking to me earlier. Only a little but it was enough. She's not going to just sit by and watch this guy kill anymore people."

"What did she say?" To say the others were surprised was an understatement. Each had tried, unsuccessfully, to get Annabel to talk about what had happened, but each had failed. They all wondered why she'd opened up to Stella an no one else.

"Well she asked me if anyone I loved had ever died. And I told her about the whole Frankie incident. I thought she'd close up again after I told her, but surprisingly she just told me that I'd done what I had to do. Just like she'd do what she had to to get this guy. Then she just closed up again. It wasn't much, but it's better than nothing."

But each of them silently wondered what Annabel had meant by do what she had to.

* * *

Annabel sat on the floor, her head in her hands. She'd spent the last few days just lost in thought and grief. She was still having trouble with accepting the fact that Tiffany was dead. She shivered. She knew logically that this was not her fault, that it was all Derek that was doing this, but the grief was clouding her better judgment. She knew now that Derek wouldn't stop until he killed her. No matter how many innocent people he had to kill first, he'd still kill them. He'd kill everyone she cared about, to hurt her, to get back at her, before he finally took away her life too. If she was honest, Annabel didn't care much about her life anymore. But she cared about her friends, about the team that was working almost without sleep to help her. And she knew that no matter what, she couldn't let Derek hurt them. She'd do anything to save them.

Which is why she was sat on the floor, in the dark, in the middle of the night, waiting for her opportunity. For the last 3 days, she'd been thinking this through, and had decided that this was the best option. The option that would get the least amount of people hurt.

She'd waited for Danny and Lindsay to fall asleep. This was what she was counting on - that their exhaustion would keep them out until it was too late for them to do anything. Annabel stood quietly, praying that her muscles wouldn't give her away by clicking. The lab was dark - although there were a few techs still working, they wouldn't pay any notice to her. The team was gone for now - Mac had sent them home to sleep. This was the moment that she had been waiting for.

Moving slowly, as not to wake the two sleeping people, she headed for the door. As she passed, she left the note on the desk, where she was sure Lindsay would find it the next morning. She turned slightly, gazing round one last time, before slowly opening the door and slipping through. Then she headed towards the stairs. If anyone asked, she was just going to the restroom.

When she reached the ground floor, she glanced around once more, making sure that no one had seen her leave. Before leaving, she thought once more of the team. She didn't want to leave. But she wasn't going to let anyone else die for her. Especially those who she'd come to care about and think of as friends. She thought of the last conversation she'd had with Stella, and she hoped that Stella would understand why she was doing this. Then she steeled her nerve, and walked out of the building. She didn't want to do this. She was just doing what she had to.

* * *

_Come on, press the little purple button and let me know what you think._

_To those who have reviewed, i will reply soon but right now exam revision is taking its toll. This chapter only came about because i was bored of revising the reasons for the economic boom in america_

_Hope you enjoyed this!_


	12. Chapter 12

_Sorry i didn't update sooner, i was away for the weekend at my cousins hen party. The next update will also be later in coming, probs wednesday at the earliest as i have exams for the next few days. If i could devote more time to this, i would._

_Same declaration as before - i own nowt. Please don't sue me._

_Hope you enjoy it. It's getting a bit darker. At least that is the intended effect. Let me know if it pays off._

* * *

Derek sat with his head in his hands. He was becoming increasingly agitated. As much as he tried, he couldn't figure out a way to get Annabel. Especially now that she was surrounded by cops. The same could be said about the investigator he had to kill.

He had all the information he needed about the lab. What floor the crime lab was one, how many lab techs worked there, what time most people left and arrived. But the information was useless. There was no way he could get in there and get out again unless he had some form of leverage. And he didn't want to have to kill another one of her friends to make his point.

He'd been through idea after idea, trying to figure out a weakness, but no matter which way he looked at it, he was still stuck. Annabel was practically untouchable. He stood, and lashed out at the table. He'd come too far now to let her live. Too far to turn back. He'd sealed his own fate when he'd stabbed Annabel all those years before. Even now, he wasn't entirely sure why he did it. He remembered being angry, hurt that she wouldn't give him another chance. But he'd stabbed her.

Derek's mind had been twisted by hatred. He no longer thought logically. All he could think about was hurting the person that had hurt him. And he was nothing if not determined. He'd find a way.

A knock at the door startled him from his thoughts. He hadn't been expecting anyone. He headed towards the door warily, getting ready to bolt if it was the cops. He peered through the hole in the door, and a smile slowly worked its way across his face. Standing back, he opened the door. His job had just been made much easier.

Now he had a plan.

* * *

Lindsay woke from the sun shining in her face. She was exhausted, despite having slept - the emotional toll of the last few days had drained her of all her energy. She could tell that Danny was still asleep, his breath tickling her back at regular intervals. Trying to get up without waking him, she slowly removed his arm from around her waist where it lay protectively. Successfully managing to free herself from his embrace, she glanced over to where Annabel slept. She wasn't there.

Lindsay sat for a few moments trying to gather her thoughts. There were many reasons that Annabel wouldn't be there. Standing, she decided that Annabel must have already left to go and talk to the members of the team. She couldn't quite believe it herself, but her overworked brain prevented her from analysing the situation further. Until her eyes fell onto her desk.

Lindsay frowned, picking up the envelope. She was absolutely certain that it hadn't been there before she went to sleep. Opening it, she let her eyes skim the note.

Her eyes went wide, and her head jerked towards the place Annabel had slept the night before. Her brain was now working hard to fully understand the meaning of the note. Once the message had finally sunk in, her hand flew to her mouth. She stood still for another minute, trying to make herself believe that the note was a joke. Then her knees gave out, and she dropped to the floor. She crawled back over to where Danny was still sleeping.

"Danny. Danny! Wake up!" She shook his shoulder until she felt him respond.

"No. 5 more minutes." Danny grumbled, still half asleep.

"No, Danny you have to wake up now!" Lindsay's voice was becoming more urgent, and the thread of panic was noticeable even to Danny, still trying to wake from his much needed slumber.

"Ok ok, what's up? Where's the fire Montana?" Danny was confused, certain that he'd heard the panic in his girlfriend's voice, but glancing around quickly, he couldn't determine the source of her panic.

"It's Annabel. She's gone!"

* * *

Ten minutes later the whole team was gathered in Mac's office. It had been quite late when Lindsay and Danny had woken, but the rest of the team had decided to let them sleep, and their act of kindness had not gone unnoticed. But now, the team had bigger worries than a lack of sleep. Each of them had read the note Annabel had left them, and they were now struggling with what to do.

Stella was suffering the most. "Damn it, I should have guessed that she'd do something like this. She told me she'd do what she had to. Why didn't I figure it out sooner?"

"Stella this isn't your fault. We all heard what she said and we didn't suspect anything either. This is the last thing we expected after the last few days, she's been so quite and withdrawn that no one would have guessed that she'd do this." Flack said, which caused Mac and Hawkes to nod in agreement.

"The question is," Mac began, "Why would she do something like this? She had to know that he'll kill her."

"She told us why Mac. She told us in the note. She couldn't do this anymore." Lindsay stated, guilt washing over her that she hadn't been able to stop this from happening.

_Dear everyone,_

_I'm sorry. I can't carry on like this anymore. When Paige died I swore that he'd never hurt anyone else. But now Tiffany is dead. If Derek has me, then he has no reason to kill anyone else. It's because of me that Tiffany and Paige are dead, and that he wants Lindsay dead too. I won't let that happen. No one else is going to die because of me._

_I know that Derek will probably kill me, and I've accepted that. Now all I ask is that you guys accept it too. I'm not scared. I'm just doing what I have to._

_Thank you for all you've done for me. I wish things didn't have to end like this, but I have no choice. I wish you guys all the best._

_Annabel xxx_

* * *

"She risking her life to save others." Hawkes stated out loud what everyone else was thinking.

"She's risking her life to save me. Damn it, why didn't I see this coming? Why didn't I notice anything last night. Damn it Damn it Damn it!" Lindsay kicked Mac's couch out of frustration at herself.

"Montana, we have already been through this. No one could have seen this coming." Danny tried to reason with her, seeing the guilt across her face. He'd do anything to help her, but right now, nothing he could do would help.

Lindsay took a deep breath. "I need some air. I'm going to the restroom." She said, before turning on her heel and leaving the room.

Danny turned to go after her, but Flack held him back. "Let her go Dan. She needs some time to think. We'll go after her once she's had a chance to cool down." Danny sighed, knowing that Flack was right, and after watching her round the corner, he turned his attention back to his boss. "We need a plan."

"Ok well standing around here isn't going to help anybody." Mac began, taking charge. "I think we can assume that despite Annabel giving herself in, Derek won't stop. He'll kill others just to hurt her before he does finally kill her. Therefore I think we can assume that Lindsay is in as much danger as she was before. But the fact that he wants Annabel to seemingly watch Lindsay die means we still have time. Annabel is still alive. We just have to find her. Flack, I want you to run Derek again, noting any names of anyone that stayed on his side that might know where he is. Hawkes and Stella, I want you two to go and help Adam with the evidence. Keep looking until you find something that might help us track Derek or find out where Annabel might have gone. Danny, I want you to go back to your office and go through the stuff that Annabel left behind. She might have left a clue as to where she thinks Derek might be. Get Lindsay to help you when she comes back. I'm going to go and find the security office tapes from each floor to find out what sort of time Annabel left, which will help us get a timeline."

Everyone nodded and left to do their assigned task. Mac rose to go and do his, when his phone rang. Glancing at the number, he saw that is was the Captain, and instantly he knew that he would pay if he missed this call. He sighed, and answered the phone.

* * *

Lindsay stood by the sink, splashing water on her face. She couldn't believe that Annabel would have willingly sacrificed herself. After all, if Derek got her, then she would probably never come out alive. Then again, she reasoned, there is always hope. Steeling herself for what she knew would be a long day, she took a deep breath and left the restroom. She'd had to go to the restroom 3 floors down as the damn ones of their floor were all out of order for maintenance. Making a split decision, she decided to get the lift back up, as she was so tired that she didn't think she'd make it back up the stairs. Once the lift arrived, she stepped, surprised that it was empty. Usually at this time of day, the lift was full of people running from floor to floor delivering messages, going to autopsy, leaving got the precinct. The lack of activity made her slightly nervous.

But she had a right to be nervous. As the lift began to rise, the space suddenly went black. Lindsay growled. A powercut. A bloody powercut. At this crucial time. She reached into her pocket for her phone and then realised she'd left it in her jacket in her office. She could have slapped herself for being so stupid, and she would have done, if she hadn't heard the sudden thump above her.

Lindsay's police instincts went into overdrive. This was not good. She was alone, in the dark, in a small confined space, unarmed. And she was almost certain that someone was on top of the lift.

Thump.

This time, Lindsay froze. She was now certain that someone was stood above her, and the small squeak of the roof latch confirmed her suspicions. She had little time to react however, as someone fell through the gap and landed on top of her. Lindsay's body screamed at her to fight, but she couldn't see and her muscles wouldn't obey. The next thing she knew was that she felt a sharp pain in the back of her skull, and the last thing she remembered was hearing the laugh. Then everything went black.

* * *

_Did that work as a chapter? I'm not as happy with it as i am with others because i don't think it is as good._

_Please review as always - and thanks go to those who have already reviewed, i love you all :)._


	13. Chapter 13

_I'm back!! Sorry it took so long to update but i've been suffering from a mental block. I hope you enjoy this next section._

_Thanks again to all those who have reviewed :)_

* * *

Danny sighed, and entered his office slowly. He didn't like the fact that Lindsay had just walked off, and he certainly didn't like the fact she'd left alone, but he was certain she'd be ok. Nothing could happen to her within the crime lab.

He walked over to the couch and picked up Annabel's bag. Upon opening it, he discovered that everything she'd brought with her was still there - obviously Annabel was certain that Derek would kill her and therefore she would have no further use for her belongings. The fact she'd left everything was promising - she might have left something behind that would indicate where she'd gone.

Whilst he searched through her belongings for something useful, his mind wandered back to Lindsay. He was terrified that something would happen to her, but he knew that if he showed it, then Lindsay would become either more worried or, more likely, more frustrated at him for his seeming lack of faith in her instincts and ability to protect herself. He didn't doubt her, but he knew that the guy they were dealing with was a pro. Well, enough of one not to leave any evidence behind.

Lindsay. He couldn't let Derek hurt her, or he'd never forgive himself. She was his whole world. If someone had said to him 2 years ago that he'd be in love with a country girl, he'd have laughed in their face and told them to be serious. It was well known that before Lindsay, he'd been solely focused on good looking girls that didn't want a long time relationship. That had all changed since he'd met his Montana. She didn't even know it, but she'd changed him in so many ways. He took more care when dressing, he made more of an effort to remember things she'd told him, he asked questions just so that he could get to know her better. It was for sure, Lindsay Monroe was no ordinary woman.

He remembered the day he first met her. He hadn't even tried to hide the fact that he didn't want her there, that he was still resentful about that fact Aiden had been fired. He made sure that she, the new girl, knew that he didn't want her there. But as time went on, he changed. He'd started flirting with her, but it was only after the case with the diamond heist that he realised he wanted more, that he wanted her. That day, when she'd been undercover, the day she could easily have been killed, he saw a determination and a bravery that he admired, that made him like her even more. The bravery she still had, like now. She knew that she was in danger but she refused to let that ruin her life. She carried on, tackling every obstacle that came her way. And Danny, as much as her feared for her life, couldn't help but admire what she was doing. Most people would have given up. But not Lindsay.

It wasn't until the power went out that he turned his attention back to what was at hand. The fact that the lights had gone out made him nervous, but he couldn't explain why. He glanced at the clock, and noticed that Lindsay had been gone for almost half an hour. Wrapped up in his thoughts, he hadn't even noticed what was going on around him.

But now he noticed the people in the lab rushing around, obviously wondering what was going on. Among the crowd of people, he spotted Stella and Hawkes deep in discussion. Having found nothing in Annabel's bag that would have helped them, he anxiety doubled as he wondered where Montana was. He pulled out his phone and dialled her cell. As the phone began to ring, he heard a buzzing sound behind him. Frowning, he made his way to his desk, he found her jacket and her cell in her pocket. He shut off of his phone, instinctively knowing that something wasn't right. He'd been feeling on edge for the last while, but he'd put it down to over-protectiveness and hadn't thought much off it. Now he was regretting it.

He made his way into the corridor where the rest of the team had gathered. Obviously no one had any idea what was happening or why the power had suddenly shorted out. But Mac must have noticed the look of discomfort of Danny's face.

"Danny are you alright? Did you find anything?"

"No, there was nothing in her bad that indicated where she'd gone. And no I'm not ok. Lindsay hasn't come back yet."

"That sounds a bit off, she's certainly had enough time to cool down. Have you tried her cell?"

Danny nodded grimly. "That's why I'm worried. She doesn't have her cell on her. It was in her jacket."

Stella visibly paled, and decided to voice what everyone else was thinking. "But she always has her phone on her. Oh god, you don't think she went after Annabel do you?"

"No" Flack intervened "She wouldn't do that. She'd come back. Especially as she knows Danny would have a fit if she did."

His mild attempt at humour made some the of the team smile briefly, but it was short lived. "Well if she didn't intentionally leave then where is she? Stella, you're a woman. If you needed to clear your head without leaving the building, where would you go?" Mac continued.

"Thanks for noticing Mac that I am in fact a woman, must have taken a few years for you to notice that." Stella answered dryly. "But in answer to your question, I'd probably go to the restroom to splash some water on my face or something. Then again, the one on this floor is out of order for maintenance, so she'd have to have gone to one on another floor. Especially if she needed the walk to clear her head. Anyone could have seen her, so we'll just have to ask around on the other floors. She'd probably have taken the elevator."

But before anyone could reply, the lights came flooding back on. Instantaneously blinded for a few seconds, the team shielded their eyes. They heard the elevator doors open and the hum of lab equipment come back alive.

Then they heard a scream, high pitched and terrified. The team spun around and made their way towards the sound, originated near the stairs. Stella got there first.

"Oh my god." Then her knees gave out, and she heard Hawkes swear quietly under his breath behind her as his eyes took in the same scene. Danny brought up the rear of the group, and was the last one to find out the reason for the scream. When he got to the front of the group, he blinked desperately, hoping that his eyes were deceiving him. They weren't. He fell down next to Stella, his hand of over his mouth, trying hard not to cry the tears that had sprung to his eyes.

The walls and floor of the elevator were covered head to toe in blood, with the message in a glistening red portrayed on the back wall. _Too late detectives. Say goodbye to Lindsay._

* * *

_Yeah i know a cliffhager. Please don't hate me_

_But please do review - i'll update fasted when i know people are reading this story_


	14. Chapter 14

_Here we go with the next installement. I tried to focus a little more on Danny and Lindsay, so you'll have to know if this pays off and works properly with this story._

_I want to thank all those who have reviewed and alerted, you guys are great._

_I hope you enjoy!! :)_

* * *

Danny sat with his head in his hands. From the moment he had recovered, Mac had immediately taken control of the situation, sending the lab techs back to their jobs and cornering off the area for processing. Mac had also removed both Stella and Danny from the scene - he said that they could work the case and they would be kept in the loop, but it was obviously too difficult for the two CSI's to process without letting their emotions interfere. In reality, both Stella and Danny were glad they didn't have to process - the blood that had covered the elevator looked to be a total of 3.5 litres. If Lindsay had lost that much blood, she would surely be dead, and neither Danny nor Stella could handle that.

Danny was still in shock, but he was becomingly increasingly angry with himself. He should have gone after Lindsay when she left Mac's office earlier, then she might still be safe. He'd gone over and over the things he could have done differently, how he could have saved Lindsay. He still hoped that she was still alive, that he'd find her before anyone could hurt her, but that hope was dwindling.

Danny, head still in his hands, began to cry. He couldn't lose her, not now, not after everything they went through together. He'd still not told her that he loved her. And he did, more than anything. He'd just never been able to tell her, it had never been the right time.

Now he was wondering if he'd ever get that chance at all.

* * *

Stella watched as Danny began to cry. She was stood outside of the break room where she observed him silently. She had known that Danny and Lindsay were a couple, but she'd never realised that the feelings were so intense. Now she came to the same realisation as Mac did days before: if something happened to Lindsay, they would not only lose her, but Danny as well.

Stella's eyes filled as she watched. Danny was like her younger brother, and it pained her to see him this distraught. She herself was feeling the loss of Lindsay, and was fighting with herself to believe that there was still a chance that Lindsay was still alive, but her grief was not nearly as intense as Danny's, which seemed utterly soul consuming. If something happened to Lindsay, Danny would die from the guilt that he hadn't been able to protect her.

Unable to stand it any longer, Stella went into the break room and put her arm round Danny, letting him cry until there were no tears left to cry. She knew there was nothing she could say to make him feel better, so instead she cried along with him, and silently prayed that Lindsay would be ok.

* * *

The rest of the team had just finished processing the lift. Mac had sent Flack to continue his follow up on Derek, getting him to narrow the search to who Derek might have had contact with and any past incidents, Annabel aside, that would indicate where Derek might be. He'd also asked that Flack check old employments and apartment buildings.

Mac, as well as the rest of the team had no doubt that Derek was behind the attack, but they were hoping he'd left something in the bloodbath of the elevator that might help them save Annabel and Lindsay before it was too late.

"Adam, I want you to take these samples to trace and get them analysed ASAP. This case is a priority, everything else goes on the backburner."

Adam turned and hurried quickly back to the lab - he was just as worried as the rest of the team about Lindsay, and he hoped that he'd find something, as he knew the team would be furious if he didn't.

Hawkes and Mac surveyed the remaining scene. They'd both found it hard to separate themselves from the case, but they knew that if they weren't professional, then Lindsay would have no chance. And there was no way that they would even risk the fact that Lindsay may end up on Sid's table.

"I hope we found everything Mac."

"So do I Sheldon. But we did this case by the book. So we can only help that we found something to help us. Let's hope Lindsay left us something."

* * *

About half an hour later, the team gathered into the lab to find out if Adam had got anything from the trace collected from the scene. Danny looked visibly sick, and the rest of the team weren't coping much better - if Lindsay had lost that much blood, she would be dead. But they were clearly still hoping that Lindsay had only been kidnapped and not murdered. If so, that gave them some extra time. But not much - Derek wanted Lindsay, and Annabel, dead, and had shown he was certainly capable of doing it.

The computer beeped as it spat out the results of the numerous blood samples taken from elevator. The team stood rigid as they waited for Adam to collect the results.

"Come on Adam, tell us what you have." Danny demanded, unable to take the tension any longer.

"Well obviously there were multiple blood samples. Out of the 45 samples taken, 44 of the samples tested negative for human DNA. The majority of that blood is not human, not Lindsay's. I'll try to track down the animal from which it came from, but that might take awhile."

"What about the 45th sample?" Stella asked nervously, unsure that she really wanted to know the answer.

"Well, that sample was taken from the larger of the blood pools of the floor and that sample was identified as Lindsay's blood."

"So that means she's still alive! She didn't lose enough to bleed out!" Danny practically shouted, hope returning rapidly.

Adam looked slightly nervous about what he had to say next, but Hawkes jumped in. "Danny, that blood sample indicated Lindsay still lost an awful amount of blood. There was no arterial spray or cast off or spatter patterns, which indicates that she probably wasn't shot or stabbed. But that means we are most likely dealing with a head wound. And they can be fatal, especially if we are dealing with a haematoma."

"So the chances are," Mac continued warily, "From the amount of blood found in the elevator, Lindsay might still be alive at the moment, but we could be running out of time."

* * *

_So we still don't know if Lindsay's alive or not. You'll find out soon. Also i know i've neglected Annabel recently, but i'll try and see if i can bring her back soon, she's key to the plot for what i want to happen._

_I think you guys know how this works, if you give me a review, i'll update faster. I live off of reviews, and they inspire me to continue, so please please review._

* * *


	15. Chapter 15

_I finally got the next chapter written up - after restarting school, i've been losing a lot of writing time._

_I have to say I am not a huge fan of this chapter, but its a necessary one - i did try for a little bit of humour but i can't guarantee you'll like it :S_

_I hope you enjoy it_

_Once again, i own nothing - well apart from my original characters and the plot, which is the property of my muse - please don't copy my work._

* * *

Lindsay felt as if she was floating. But this wasn't at all peaceful - the lighter she felt, the more pain she was in. She could vaguely hear someone calling her name, a woman. But she couldn't determine who it was.

"Lindsay, please wake up. Oh my god, you son of a bitch, what did you do to her? Lindsay? Lindsay! Come on Lindsay wake up!"

Lindsay could tell the woman was panicked, but as much as felt she needed to wake up, she was too tired to hold on. The sound of rushing began in her ears, and as she slipped back into the peaceful world of the unconscious, everything once again went black.

* * *

Annabel continued shaking Lindsay's shoulder for a long time after she lost consciousness. Annabel was not a doctor, but even she could tell that Lindsay was in serious need of medical attention. She balled up the shirt next to her, and pressed it against Lindsay's head, trying to stop the bleeding, even just a little bit. But in reality, she had no idea whether this would help Lindsay or not.

Annabel swore quietly under her breath. This should never have happened, Derek should never have gone after Lindsay. She'd thought giving herself up would have kept Lindsay out of danger, but she'd been wrong.

"Come on Lindsay, wake up. You have to wake up!"

Still no response.

Annabel felt for a pulse, and thankfully she found one. A strong one. For now, it seemed Lindsay would be ok. But Annabel couldn't guarantee how long that would last. Derek would be back. And this time, he'd finish what he started.

* * *

It wasn't until much later that Lindsay awoke, with a pounding head. As she struggled to sit up, she became intensely dizzy and everything in her line of sight when incredibly blurry. Closing her eyes, she waited for a few moments to pass, before she once again tried to sit up in a decent sitting position, gritting her teeth against the pain that had spread all over her body. Steadying herself against the wall behind her, she looked around, trying to get her bearings.

Nothing in the room gave anything anyway. Lindsay tried to remember what had happened, but was met by the fierce pounding in her head.

"Oh my god, thank god you're awake!"

The voice came from the left of Lindsay, and as she turned, she fought the nausea and dizziness that arose. Her sight clearing once again, her eyes settled on the source of the voice.

"Annabel?"

"Oh my god Lindsay, I am so sorry. I never meant to drag you into this, and I thought if I gave myself in he wouldn't come after you, but he did and he hurt you and oh god am I sorry."

"Annabel, calm down, calm down. At least you're still alive. We thought that he'd have killed you. I thought we'd find your body as another crime scene… But you're alive!"

"Lindsay, the only reason that I am still alive is because Derek wants me to watch him kill you. To make me feel even worse about the fact someone else died because of me…"

"No one died because of you. And no one will. We'll get out of here."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because we have to." Lindsay replied, echoing Danny's words from days before.

* * *

Flack took the stairs two at a time, pausing at the top to catch his breath before carrying on full speed to Mac's office. Almost sliding past the door, he grabbed the door handle to prevent him from crashing through one of the glass windows Mac favoured in the lab. As much as he wanted to pass on the information he'd found, he didn't want to have to fork out for the huge bill of replacing the glass.

Mac looked up from his file surprised to see Flack almost skidding past his door in his haste to pass on whatever information he'd found. Although the tension in the lab could have been cut by a knife and the fact everyone was worried about Lindsay and Annabel, the sight of Flask almost falling over himself was purely comical, and Mac couldn't help but grin at the Detective.

"Flack, there are other ways to pass on information without almost breaking down the window."

Flack looked up to see Mac's grin and couldn't help but smile briefly - he must have looked a sight. But he couldn't keep the grin on his face as his mind relayed what he'd found out.

"Mac, I think you need to bring everyone in here."

* * *

"Did you find something Don?" Danny asked anxiously.

"Well I went to see Patterson's parents to try and figure out where he might be. Turns out they were rather helpful, as if they actually wanted their son to be caught. Anyway, I got the names of his two best friends, the only two friends that stuck by him after the stabbing: Melanie Adams and Damon Fielding. His parents couldn't help with the old employment or apartment records, as it turns out that he hasn't been in contact since the stabbing, so that wasn't much help.

However, I went looking for these two friends, figuring they might have stuck by him all these years. I found Melanie, who was obviously very reluctant to help, but gave in when I flashed my badge and threatened her with obstruction of justice. She informed me that he used to have an apartment in the south of Manhattan. The apartment was leased under Fielding's name, but when I rang information, they told me that the building was being got ready to be torn down."

"So you think Lindsay and Annabel could be being kept there?" Stella asked, unable to keep the hope that they might still be found in time out of her voice.

"They might be, but at the moment it's just a theory."

"Did you check employment records?" Mac asked.

"Yes I did, which is why I think the apartment might just be a theory. I checked all records under Derek's name, and he was smart - if he got a job, he did it under someone else's name. So, after I found out the apartment was listed under his mates name, I ran a search on the friend's employment."

"Did you find anything?" Hawkes urging Flack to continue, aware that they were losing time.

"I did. The 'friend' worked out at a butchers in Queens. However, when trying to track the butcher, I found out that they'd been closed for months - they'd been forced to close because of competition."

"A butcher. Great. And I thought this couldn't get any worse. It sounds like he was preparing to get his own back in a rather sadistic manner." Danny growled, hitting Mac's desk with his fist.

"So we have some leads. But we need to tie another link to either of these two places before we go barging in on a whim. Did you get anything from the blood or the finger prints?" The question was directed at Adam, who stood near the door, looking increasingly uncomfortable.

"Well," Adam began, aware of all the eyes in the room that were focused on him "I tested the blood to find a species, and it came back as a mix: part pig blood and part cow's blood."

"That is so sick. But at least we know how he got hold of the blood - shouldn't have been too hard at a butchers." Hawkes said, consciously trying to ignore the shiver that visibly went through Danny.

"What about the fingerprints?" Danny pressed, anxious to find something that would lead him to Lindsay.

"Well I found 2 different sets of prints. I ran them both through CODIS and I found Derek's prints which is what you expected. However, the second set of prints didn't yield a hit in CODIS, but I tried national databases looking for something. I got a hit from the medical records. The second set of prints are from a Damon Fielding, a medical intern from Mercy hospital."

"Derek's best friend." Stella spoke up, announcing everyone's thoughts. "Sounds like Derek had some help."

"And it sounds as though the old butcher's is our best bet for a location right now." Mac continued, before being interrupted by Danny.

"Our best bet! That's not good enough! If we get it wrong, then we could lose her. I can't let that happen!" Danny's outburst silenced everyone in the room. The other team members looked away, unable to watch the emotion that crossed Danny's face. They weren't used to such emotional reactions from Danny, and they were unsure about how to handle it.

Mac weighed his answer, before speaking cautiously, aware that any wrong move could motivate Danny in trying to find Lindsay himself. "Danny I know you're upset, and we all know you care about Lindsay. But right now, we don't have anything else that will point us in the right direction, and we don't have time to wait for Derek to commit another crime. The next crime Derek wants to commit is the murder of Lindsay and Annabel. I know you're scared Danny, but we have no choice. We have to try something. Or we'll lose Lindsay for sure."

Danny hung his head. He knew his boss was right, but his emotions were running high, and the thought of Lindsay being butchered and then murdered by a psychopath was too much for him to take. He took a shaky breath, fighting his instincts to go looking for her himself.

"Right, so what's the plan?"

* * *

_Well i think that tied up some lose ends but if there is anything you are unsure about, let me know and i'll clarify._

_Come on, press the button and review, you know i work faster with motivation :) Pretty please?_

_Thanks to all those who have previously reviewed - keep them coming :)_


	16. Chapter 16

_Here is the next part of the story. I thought I'd try and relieve the tension a little, but i don't know if it worked or not :S_

_I own nothing to do with CSI NY apart from the boxsets i bought from the shops._

_Enjoy!!_

* * *

Lindsay winced, the pain in her head intensifying as she gazed around the room where she was being kept. The room was windowless and had only one door, which had been fixed so that the only handle was on the other side. From what she could tell, they were in an abandoned, desolate area, probably chosen so that no one would be able to hear them scream.

Unsure of how much time had passed, Lindsay's thoughts turned to Danny. He must be going crazy. As much as she loved him, he could be incredibly overprotective of her, always reminding her to be safe on the job, always watching her back. She'd always shrugged it off, feeling like it was an invasion of her own privacy. Deep down, she knew he cared about her, but her fierce independence usually overrode her logical brain. But right now, all she could think about how much she wished Danny was there, and how frantic he'd be trying to find her.

"He is going to kill me." She muttered to herself.

* * *

Annabel glanced over to where Lindsay was sat. Taking in her friend's appearance, she once again mentally kicked herself for naively believing she could save everyone single-handedly. Lindsay had a deep gash across her left temple, as well as a black eye and a split lip, not to mention the countless bruises. Annabel herself hadn't fared much better. She was sporting numerous scratches all over her body, as well as a twisted wrist and a broken ankle. No, it was safe to say that neither women would be able to leave this room by themselves in a hurry - they were both too beaten up.

"Huh? What'd you say?" Lindsay had sounded defeated, and Annabel worriedly considered that Lindsay was losing the fight to save herself.

"Danny. He's going to kill me."

"What?" The answer was nothing like what Annabel expected, so it threw her off completely. "Why?"

"I ignored his advice. I wasn't careful, I wasn't able to protect myself, and the amount of bruises I have is unreal. He always went on about being careful, and I ignored him. I thought he was being too overprotective…" Lindsay was unable to finish her sentence - if she had listened, maybe she wouldn't be in this mess. "He's going to kill me. Well he will if I ever get to see him again…" With that, Lindsay's lip began to tremble, and for what seemed the millionth time in the last few days, she began to cry.

Annabel crawled painfully over to where Lindsay sat. As much as she wanted to crawl into a corner and live like a hermit, she knew that now, Annabel had to be strong. Lindsay had been able to help Annabel, and although Annabel too was scared, she silently vowed to help her friend.

"I mean, I never got the chance to tell him that I loved him!"

"Lindsay listen to me. I bet right now Danny is doing everything in his power to find you. And when he finds you, he isn't going to care what happened as long as you're safe. He'll be mad at Derek for doing this to you."

"But.."

"No buts. I haven't known either of you for very long, and I certainly am not the best when it comes to reading men. But everyone with half a brain can tell that that man totally adores you, and he'll do everything he can to save you. Linds, he'd die for you if he thought it would keep you safe. He loves you. Whether or not he has admitted it to you yet. And that's something special, something that only comes around rarely. Don't lose sight of that now. Not now. You can't give in Lindsay, that's what Derek wants, he wants you to be miserable, he wants you to be defenceless. Just fight for what you have with Danny."

Lindsay put her head between her knees and breathed in deeply. Annabel was right - she had to keep going. She didn't have time to collapse in an emotional wreck - Annabel certainly hadn't despite the fact she'd lost another friend and had been beaten badly. No, now Lindsay had to keep fighting. And believing. Danny would save her.

* * *

"Tell me about Danny."

"Excuse me?"

"Tell me about Danny. How'd you meet and stuff."

"Can I ask why?"

"Other than to pass the time? I'm curious about how you got in so deep with a guy."

"Surely you've done the same thing? I mean, you've had boyfriends right? Without meaning to sound callous."

Annabel laughed bitterly. "The last boyfriend I had was Derek. And he was also the first one I had. After him, I couldn't trust anyone enough to be with them. Men scare me.

"Oh Annabel, I'm sorry I had no idea."

"It's ok, really. I didn't really want to date again. I have everything I need, I'm independent and self-sufficient. I don't need or want a man. They just bring along too many problems. Seriously, Lindsay Monroe doesn't want to talk about Danny Messer? Something's up with the universe. I mean I don't think we've had one conversation where his name doesn't come up."

"It's complicated."

"Then uncomplicated it. I just want to know, no, need to know, that not all men are jerks. That some men are genuinely good people."

Lindsay completely understood why Annabel felt the way she did. On the job, she had seen so many crimes that it was difficult to believe that there was good in the world. But despite the number of times Lindsay had returned home crying or frustrated about a case, Danny had always been able to cheer her up, whether it be with a joke or a sarcastic comment, or even the way he called her Montana. Yes, Danny Messer was definitely one of the good things in the world.

Smiling slightly, as if to try and relieve the sense of foreboding that had gathered in the room, Lindsay said "What do you want to know?"

* * *

_I think i'm going to talk about the Danny related events next, hopefully trying to get ride of some of the angst._

_Can you let me know what you think of Annabel in this chapter, I'm not sure what to make of her - she is still grieving her friends and what not, but i think she came off slightly uncaring about her dead friends in this part. She is very difficult to write._

_Come on, get me up to 50+ reviews. It'll make me feel much better. Please?_


	17. Chapter 17

_

* * *

_

Hey i'm back! I would have updated yesterday, but the site was having technical difficulties so i would have updated sooner i swear!

_Disclaimer: I own nothing except Annabel and Derek - i have borrowed the plot from the show briefly, please don't sue!!_

_Enjoy!!_"How did you two meet then?" Annabel's curiosity was obvious.

* * *

"It was about 2 years ago now. I'd transferred over from the crime lab in Montana and I have to say my first day was defiantly an experience. I'd always wanted to move to New York so when the job in Mac's lab opened up, I applied straight away."

"I'd been asked to go straight to the crime scene even before I'd got through the front door of the lab. A man had been mauled by a tiger, but our team had still been called to investigate. Obviously I was nervous and Danny didn't make it any easier. The first time I saw him, I thought he was pretty cute, a real city boy who'd obviously never left the state. But by the end of the day, I thought he was one of the most arrogant, self-absorbed men I had ever met."

"What the hell happened to make you feel like that?" Annabel was lost - she'd seen the two together and they resembled the perfect fairy tale couple. She'd never have imagined that they two had got off on the wrong foot. "I always thought it would have been love at first sight the way you two act now."

Lindsay laughed. "Far from it actually." She shook her head and a look of thought appeared on her face. "You have to understand, the reason there was a job going in the first place was because the previous employee, Aiden, she was fired, for tampering with evidence. She was one of Danny's best friends, so in his eyes, I was her replacement. And he didn't like that. He did everything he could to try and make my first day hell. He told me to call Mac 'Sir', which is one of Mac's pet hates. He gave me the nickname 'Montana', as a dig towards my home state. There were so many petty things that he did over the first few weeks I was here, but I just got on with it."

"Thinking about it, I don't really know when the turning point of our 'relationship' was. I guess after a while the teasing about my home state just kinda turned into playful banter about anything - the case, our colleagues, anything. After a while, I'd just figured that the teasing was just part of who Danny was and I learnt to ignore it - I certainly wasn't going to give him the upper hand by admitting weakness."

"I think my coming to New York was a shock to Danny's system. He never expected a girl like me, from the country, to be able to last here, but I proved him wrong. Eventually, the playful, and I guess you could say flirtatious, banter just became one of the things we did. The nickname 'Montana' became the norm - if he ever called me anything else, it would mean something serious was going on. We spent more and more time together after shifts, just as friends, even though I began to feel more for him. Danny was known as the play-boy of the New York crime lab, so I never thought he'd give me a second look - his type had always been blond, long legged and with big boobs."

"As it turns out, Danny had been feeling the same towards me. But both of us being a) stubborn and b) terrified of Mac never did anything about it. We just kind of skipped around the issue. We just carried on as friends - like when Stella was attacked, when Aiden was murdered, when Flack was in an explosion."

"Man, you guys definitely do not have a boring life do you?" Annabel commented dryly, fully aware that all three situations had obviously greatly distressed the team.

"Nah, our life is definitely not boring. So many things have happened whilst I've been here, its hard to keep track."

"So anyway, carry on about you and Danny. It amazes me that you two took so long to get together after skipping around the issue so much."

"Well we carried on as normal until a case about a year ago. There was a jewellery robbery from one of the stores downtown, and a man got shot by a badly placed gun. It turns out that the girls who robbed the store had stolen someone else's diamonds. Someone else's conflict diamonds, that he'd have done anything to protect. He went after the girls with everything he had. He murdered one to get the location of the other two, and he kidnapped one of the other girls to get the third to return the jewels. Knowing that he'd kill both girls if Holly number 3 went in, I went in instead as an undercover detective. Before I went in, Danny tried to convince me out of it, but I didn't listen. In the end, I got found out, and if I hadn't had a smoke bomb in the bag, the guy would have killed me. After the device went off, the place was stormed by SWAT members and Danny came in, with his sole intention of looking for me. I heard from Flack and Stella later that he'd almost fallen out of the truck trying to get to me as fast as possible. He just grabbed me and held on as if he never wanted to let go."

"So that was that? You guys were finally together?"

"Um no, not exactly. He asked me out and I said yes, but then I kinda stood him up."

"What! Why?"

"I'd had some news that morning from the Bozeman's prosecutors office. They found a suspect from a multiple murder about 10 years ago. The girls that were murdered were my friends. I was the only survivor, and because they had a suspect, I had to go back to Montana and testify. I was so scared, and I felt so guilty about surviving that I thought I didn't deserve to be happy. I just couldn't trust anyone. So I stood him up, told him that I had some issues to work through. And for his part, he listened. He offered to help me and he carried on being a really good friend. I just didn't realise until half way through the trial back home in Montana. I'd left New York without saying a proper goodbye to Danny - I'd left him a card - and I thought that he'd be mad. But he wasn't. It turns out that he flew all the way to Montana just to help me through the trial. And I really appreciated that. He finally understood why I'd needed my space, and he'd still not turned away. After we got back to New York, things just kept getting better for us, and eventually Danny kinda half asked me out. Well he kinda asked me over to his place and bet he could beat me at a game of pool. Stupidly bet against me. He already knew that it was stupid to bet against me after the bug eating scenario."

"The what?"

"There was a case where a woman was killed by trying to eat a live octopus. The man responsible was catering an exotic cuisine week which involved eating bugs and other weird and wacky things. Danny brought back a load of these bugs after they finished the case, and he bet Mac I wouldn't eat anything. And he was wrong."

* * *

Danny grimaced as he got into the department SUV. He was furious that Mac refused to let him drive - they needed to get to Lindsay as soon as possible. But even if Danny did drive at almost warp speed and had the lights flashing, he knew he'd never get to Lindsay fast enough. It was just a gut feeling that he had.

Danny might have been ashamed to say it, but since Lindsay had gone missing, he'd barely given Annabel a spare thought. In the back of his mind he knew that she was in just as much danger, but his worry about Lindsay had taken over. But right now, the memory of Annabel crying on the roof came back, as did Lindsay's reaction - Derek had hurt Annabel, and therefore indirectly hurt Lindsay. And nobody was allowed to hurt Lindsay. So now Derek was going to pay.

* * *

"So did you beat him at pool?"

"Yep, I sure did. And told him that he owed me 100. But as he didn't have any money on him, and we'd had rather a lot of tequila, one thing kinda led to another and…"

"Did you…?"

"Yep. On the pool table."

Annabel squealed. "That is way too much detail." She began to laugh along with her friend, both of them glad that the tension had been reduced slightly. Lindsay smiled at her memories, and Annabel smiled along with her, but at the same time felt that she'd been missing out. Lindsay had clearly found true love, and Annabel couldn't say that she wasn't jealous, because she was. She'd always wanted someone to love her as much as Danny loved Lindsay, but after Derek, she'd resigned herself to singledom. That way, she couldn't get hurt. But after hearing Lindsay's story, Annabel began to wish she'd trusted a little more. Then maybe things would have been different after Derek. Shaking herself, she sighed. She'd made this life for herself, and nothing she could do would change that. Tilting her head slightly, an evil grin snaking across her face, she asked

"So was he any good?"

Lindsay's jaw dropped. Whatever question she'd expected from Annabel, this was not one of the many possibilities. She'd seen the look across Annabel's face when she'd been lost in her thoughts, and Lindsay could clearly see that Annabel felt slightly left out. _When we get out, _she promised herself_, I'm going to take her out on the town._

"I can not believe that you just asked me that." She said flatly, disbelief clearly coming through in her voice even as she tried to suppress her laugh.

Annabel took advantage of this moment of weakness. "Well was he?"

"Like you would not believe." Lindsay covered her mouth quickly as Annabel began to laugh. After a moment, Lindsay joined in with her. The laughter continued until they heard a loud bang on the door. Both women jumped, and glanced at each other fearfully, their laughter dying, before both eyeing the door carefully. Neither girl was prepared to fight off any attacker, but they knew they had no choice of they wanted to stay alive.

The door opened slowly, creaking slightly as the hinges squeaked from lack of use. Light flooded the room, making both women cover their eyes, unused to the light after the long hours trapped in the dingy room.

Derek was clearly visible once they got used to the light. He stood watching them, covering the exit in case either tried to make an escape. He began to grin manically, evil distorting his face, as he watched the two injured and defenceless girls. He quickly sobered. He was running out of time. Once he was sure he had the two girls full attention, he spoke

"Now, lets have some fun."

* * *

_Hehe another cliffanger. Please don't hate me._

_Thank you to all those who reviewed - i finally reached 50 and i am so proud as i didn't think the story was that great. Please keep reviewing - it makes me happy!_

_Also, any ideas on how Danny should get back at Derek :P_


	18. Chapter 18

_Erm..please don't hate me for this :S_

_Just so you know, the team do care about Annabel, i know this might make them sound as if they only care about Lindsay. But they do care, i swear!_

_Oh and Laura Stanley, if you can use the daggers through my heart in you english essay, then i can use it hear!! LOL_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing except Annabel and Derek._

_Enjoy, but please don't kill me_

* * *

Danny watched the buildings blur past, his eyes glazing over so that all he could see eventually was just a mix of colours that had no distinguishable characteristics. He could feel the tears falling slowly over his face, his heart beating erratically. Despite being on their way to find Lindsay, Danny could still not let go of the feeling that it would be too late. The thought that they might be too late, that they might not save Lindsay from Derek, that she might already be dead played around heavily in his mind, and it felt like he was being repeatedly stabbed in the heart with a dagger. Over and over. Danny had not felt like this since Louie died after being beaten up by Tanglewood the year before.

Since Louie had died, Danny had lost all hope in God. Yes, he knew that his brother was no saint, but no one deserves to die like that. And Louie had been the one that had saved Danny, had found the evidence that cleared him of murder. Surely that should have count for something. But no, God had still taken Louie, and after that, Danny had vowed never to believe again.

But now, in his worst hour, Danny sent out a silent prayer. _Please don't let me lose Lindsay. She's all I have. Don't take her away from me. _As to whether or not God heard him, he didn't know. All he could do was wait.

But it was the waiting that was hurting the most.

* * *

Mac expertly drove the SUV through the streets of Manhattan, sirens blazing. He too was desperate to get to Lindsay before Derek hurt her. _I can't lose another team member, can't lose another friend. _Mac could not deny that he felt guilty for Aiden's death - he could have kept a closer watch over her as a friend after he fired her. But now another team member was in danger, and Mac was deeply scared.

Letting his eyes slid over to the mirror, he chanced a glance at Danny in the seat behind him. Danny's eyes were bloodshot red, his cheeks pale with distinct tear marks and even fresher tears. Mac's heart went out to the young man - Danny was a good CSI, but he was also like a son to him. It pained him to see Danny in such a state of distress.

Seeing a heartbroken Danny, a man Mac had hoped never to see again after the death of his brother Louie the year before, Mac made a promise to himself.

_I swear we'll get her out Danny. I swear it._

* * *

Flack had known Danny for a long time, and never before had he seen his best friend so broken. Danny had always had relationships that didn't involve having any feelings except lust. Danny didn't want to have to deal with 'feelings', saying that it was a waste of time, that there'd be no one in the world that could make him change his mind.

But Danny had been wrong. Once Lindsay arrived, everything changed. Yes, Flack could see that Danny was upset that Aiden had been fired, but even on Lindsay's first day he could see that Danny looked at her differently than he looked at other women. Yes, he might have annoyed her with all the teasing and the pranks, but he had a look of respect in his eyes for her, and the teasing was just a way of hiding from the feelings he didn't want to feel. The feelings he didn't know how to feel.

Flack had never seen Danny as happy as when he was with Lindsay, and if they lost Lindsay, Flack didn't know if Danny would survive. Physically he might, but he would never be the same. Lindsay was the missing piece from Danny's life, and no one else would ever be able to fill her shoes, to keep Danny wanting more, to keep Danny in line.

_I hope we find her before it's too late._

* * *

Stella too was watching Danny. Danny was like the younger brother that she'd never had, and Lindsay was her best friend. If anything happened to them…Stella shivered at the thought. Danny and Lindsay were perfect for each other, they balanced each other out - where Danny was harsh, Lindsay was caring.

Danny and Lindsay had fought so hard to get to where they were. Lindsay, with her demons, and Danny with having to wait for the first time in his life for something that he wanted more than he'd ever wanted anything else. And now they finally got together, now that they were finally happy, someone wanted to take it away. It just wasn't fair.

Stella had known for a long time that Danny was attracted to Lindsay. She saw the glances across the lab, the way he gave her a nickname, the way he made sure she was safe at a crime scene. She'd seen the pure fear in Danny's eyes when Lindsay had gone undercover. She'd seen him almost fall out of the truck and knock himself out after Lindsay's cover was blown. She'd seen the way he held her at the crime scene, as if he could never let her go.

No, Stella decided, today was not the day that it all ended for them. Not if she had her way. Her friends had been through hell, both separately and together, and now that they were happy, no one could take it away.

_They'll have more time together. I swear to God they will._

* * *

Hawkes was trying not to notice Danny's tears. Danny had always been tough, had always had an aura around him that nothing could hurt him. But the aura was deceiving. It was obvious to Hawkes that Danny was deeply scared in a way he had never been before, perhaps even more scare than after what had happened to Louie, even more so than when Aiden died.

There had only been one time that Hawkes had ever seen Danny almost as scared as he was now, and that was after the explosion. When the call came in that a bomb had exploded in downtown Manhattan, and that Lindsay, Mac and Flack were on the scene, Hawkes had seen Danny pale rapidly. Yes, Flack was his best friend, but Hawkes couldn't help but wonder if he was more worried about Lindsay, about his Montana as he called her. When they arrived at the scene, and they had seen Lindsay alive and well apart from a small cut on her forehead and a few scrapes across her arms and face, Danny had relaxed somewhat. Not completely, as Mac and Don were still in the building, but he still did relax.

Hawkes had also seen the look on Danny's face before he left to processing. It was a look of despair - he obviously wanted to stay with her and check that she was ok, but his job came first and Lindsay wasn't dying, so he'd had to leave.

Hawkes had never wanted to see Danny that scared again. But life obviously didn't want Danny or Lindsay to have an easy life.

Hawkes was probably the most aware of the fact they were running out of time. It looked like Lindsay had a severe head injury, and if so, she would be deteriorating as they drove. They didn't have much time left.

_I hope we aren't already too late._

* * *

Danny could feel their eyes on him, could feel their fear and concern as deeply as he felt his own. But he blocked it out, his mind solely focussed on finding Lindsay and then making Derek pay for even attempting to hurt her.

He began to pay more attention to where they were. He wiped his face, determined that the tears would be gone by the time they found Lindsay. As he noticed that they had reached their destination, he sat up straight and opened the car door, getting out rapidly while the car was still moving.

_Hold on Montana, we're coming._

* * *

As Mac cut the engine, he noticed that half of his team had already left the car. Quickly, he joined them, preparing for what was inside the desolate and dilapidated building.

Both Lindsay and Annabel were in danger whilst they were in the building and as scared they were for Lindsay, they were just as scared for Annabel, who had been dealt shit cards in the game of life. She was much more impressionable, and already deeply traumatised. If they didn't work quickly, Annabel could be lost forever. And not physically, although that was an increasing possibility.

But before the team could do anything, before Mac could even begin to describe how they would go about this operation, before the SWAT van had fully come round the corner, they heard a scream, high pitched and petrified. Danny made to go towards the door, fear fully dominating his face as he no longer cared what the team thought about him, but Flack held him back, trying to get him to wait long enough until they thought it safe for Lindsay and Annabel until they stormed the place.

But what happened next turned the team's blood cold. As Danny broke free of Flack's grip and headed towards the door, with the team on his heels, they heard the echo of the cock of a gun. Danny's eyes widened even more from the full extent of his fear, so intense that if not for the adrenaline pumping through his system, he'd have passed out.

Then they heard a gunshot. And the screaming stopped.

* * *

_Is it safe to come out? Actually i might stay inside, the next chapter might get worse :S_

_Come one let me know what you think, let me know you-re reading this. Please review!_


	19. Chapter 19

_

* * *

_

Erm again, please don't hate me, my muse just got this in my head and wouldn't let it drop.

_Let me know what you think - i hope you enjoy!!_

_I want to thank all my reviewers so far, they really do provide the motivation to continue._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing, though i often wish I did._

* * *

"Now lets have some fun."

The words echoed in Annabel's mind as she fearfully watched Derek. She'd known that Derek was unstable for a long time, in fact maybe the thought had been present during the time they dated. She just hadn't wanted to see it.

But now, she could see it as clear as daylight. The mad glint in his eyes, the manic smirk on his face. Derek wanted to hurt her, and he had. He'd killed two of her best friends, knowing full well that the guilt would eventually drive Annabel herself insane.

Annabel was terrified. Not only for her own life, as her concern for that had disappeared after Paige's death only months before. Her concern now was for Lindsay. Lindsay didn't deserve to die. And Annabel was going to make sure she didn't.

* * *

Lindsay watched Derek warily, all too aware of what he was capable of doing. She tensed as he walked forwards, and she prepared herself to fight him off. But she felt herself freeze as Derek's coat fell forwards, revealing the unmistakable shape of a gun tucked into his waistband. Lindsay, for one brief moment forgetting where she was and what had happened, reached for her own piece, but jerked her arm back again when she realised that it wasn't there.

Lindsay was scared. Living in New York had prepared Lindsay for the possibility of being attacked, but she'd always felt safer than the average citizen when she had her gun with her. Guns couldn't stop everything, but they certainly did help get her out of tricky situations. Without it, Lindsay felt defenceless.

She withdrew from Derek as he reached towards her, but the wall pressed against her back, rendering her unable to move any further back. She winced as Derek touched her cheek, but before she could react or push his hand away, he grabbed her arm and yanked it towards him. She felt a searing pain in her left shoulder at the same time as she heard a distinct pop - her shoulder was now dislocated, which meant she had even less of a chance of fighting back.

Derek smiled at her, but the smile was distorted, his face now beyond recognition. Lindsay shut her eyes, gritting her teeth against the pain flooding through her shoulder. But shutting her eyes was a mistake. She felt a swift, sharp slap to the side of her face, and her head whipped to the side from the force. Eyes springing open, she lifted her hand to her face, feeling the redness radiating from her skin. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Annabel try and rise to her feet, but Derek caught site of her, and in one swift movement, had pulled the gun from his waistband and had it pointed at Lindsay.

"One more move, and I swear I'll blow her face off."

* * *

Annabel sank back down towards the floor, torn between helping her friend and keeping her alive. Desperate, she frantically scanned the room, looking for anything that would help them. But the room was bare. Derek had known this would happen, and he'd prepared their prison in advance. Annabel felt sick. But all she could do was watch.

She watched Derek as he tied Lindsay's hands behind her back. She watched as he then tied her to a pipe sticking out of the wall. She watched as Lindsay's eyes glazed over in pain. But she was powerless to prevent it.

Then Derek came towards her, her body stiffening as she watched him, her eyes wide, her mind racing. She was unprepared for the punch until it was too late - she only had time to blink before the fist smacked her in the face. The force was so great that she went flying backwards, smacking her head on the wall as she went. Ignoring Lindsay's screams, she sat up, head spinning, blood seeping out of the cut on her lips. Her eyes still glazed over, she didn't have time to react before the fist came and hit in the face again. This time, she had nowhere to go, and Derek had the advantage, hitting her in the face over and over again. She felt herself gradually losing consciousness, but was still able to feel Derek climb on top of her and hit again, and again.

She felt Derek get off her, and she thought that he'd finally finished his onslaught of abuse, but again she was wrong. He grabbed her by the hair, her head snapping back, veins popping in her neck as she struggled against him. Using her hair as leverage, he pulled her up off of the floor and threw her into the wall again, causing stars to appear in her eyes. Blinking blood out of her eyes she tried to get her bearings , but one swift kick to the stomach caused her to cry out, her eyes shut against the pain that was overtaking her body. She begged for unconsciousness to come, the pain building in her stomach until she was sure it had split open. She heard a crack as Derek's foot once again connected with her tortured body, and this time, the darkness took over, the pain blissfully stopping, the silence heaven to her ears.

* * *

Lindsay was screaming. She screamed as Derek punched, threw and kicked Annabel, screamed until her throat was raw, but nonetheless to no avail. She watched in horror as Annabel eventually slipped into unconsciousness. And she became even more afraid. She was unable to defend herself, Annabel was down, and Derek had a gun. She was heavily out of her depth, and she was on her own. Annabel had fought hard, but Derek had just been too much, and now she wouldn't be able to help anymore.

"I didn't want to do this you know."

Lindsay gazed up at Derek in horror, unable to comprehend what he was saying.

"If she had died, I wouldn't have had to do this. Just like I wouldn't have to kill you if you hadn't been on the freaking case. They deserved to die!"

"Don't even blame them for what you did." Lindsay spat out. "And even if I hadn't been on the case, someone else would have been and we still would have found you, and you still would have been convicted, you sick son of a bitch because it was obvious even to the very dim that it was you who did this!"

Lindsay watched as Derek's eyes filled with anger. But now she was way beyond caring.

"Even if you kill both of us today, you won't get away with it. I can't believe anyone would ever think they could get away with this. You kidnapped an NYPD cop, don't you get it? Everyone will be looking for me, and they will find you, I swear to God they will."

Derek glared at her, before speaking slowly, his jaw working so as not to let his anger get the better of him. "You know what Detective," he began, drawing out his words, "I've had enough of your lies. They deserved this. And I thought I'd be able to convince you. Shame really, as now you both have to die. But first, Annabel is going to pay, to make her suffer for all the years she made me suffer."

With that, Derek once again trained his gun on Lindsay. She gulped, her eyes focused on the glint of the muzzle, her brave façade disappearing rapidly as she came face to face with her fate.

* * *

Annabel opened her eyes groggily, her head pounding.

"_I've had enough of your lies. They deserved this. And I thought I'd be able to convince you. Shame really, as now you both have to die. But first, Annabel is going to watch you die, to make her pay, to make her suffer for all the years she made me suffer."_

Annabel heard Derek's words and her eyes widened as the meaning seeped slowly into her barely functioning brain. He was going to kill Lindsay, she was going to die unless she did something. But what? Annabel was too beaten and too tired to fight anymore. But she couldn't let Lindsay die.

An idea slowly worked into her brain. The idea itself was not the best solution, there were may things that could go wrong, but at that moment, they didn't have any choice.

She lifted her head slightly as not to attract attention, and looked around. Derek was not paying her any attention at that moment. She laughed inwardly as she realised that her plan was the only way to beat Derek at his own game. But to make her plan work, she'd have to work fast. Steadying herself against the wall, she prepared herself to put her plan in action.

* * *

Lindsay watched the muzzle of the gun, eyes full of fear. She couldn't help but plead with God to spare her and Annabel. _I haven't told Danny that I love him._

At that thought, her eyes filled with tears. She'd never get to tell him how much she appreciated the fact he waited for her, how safe he made her feel, how for the first time since her friend's murders she'd been truly happy. She'd never feel his strong arms around her again, she'd never hear his heartbeat as she lay in bed beside him, she'd never get to mindlessly flirt with him at work.

She fought hard to keep her tears from spilling from her eyes, but her sight went fuzzy. Despite this, she clearly heard the sound of the cock of the gun, and she whimpered before she could stop herself.

* * *

Annabel pushed herself off of the wall even further, confident that Derek's attention was solely focused on Lindsay.

_Its now or never. I'm so sorry about this Linds._

* * *

_I'm so sorry Danny. I love you. Please don't blame yourself for this. This is out of ours hands. I'll love you forever._

Lindsay screamed, praying one last time that someone would hear them.

* * *

Derek didn't notice Annabel until it was too late. He aimed the gun at Lindsay and went to shoot the gun. He paid no attention to her screams and his finger clenched around the trigger.

There was a blur of colour in his peripheral vision, but it was too late. He pulled the trigger.

The screaming stopped, Lindsay's mouth opening wide but with no more sound coming out.

And Annabel fell to the floor, blood pooling from her chest, a small smirk on her face, her eyes already unseeing.

* * *

_Is it safe to come out? _

_Please review and let me know what you think - i don't know where else to go with this just yet._

_Hope you enjoyed it so far!!_


	20. Chapter 20

_Yes i know, im awful, i killed her, but i thought that this would make the story more interesting. Please don't hate me :S_

_Here's the next bit of the story - I hope you enjoy it, and I know its short, but I thought the ending might be an easier place to start from in the next chapter._

_Thanks again to all my reviewers, and also a BIG thanks to Dark Thorned Rose for all of her helpful ideas and lovely comments :)_

_Disclaimer: You know the drill, i own nothing._

* * *

_Then they heard a gunshot. And the screaming stopped._

"LIINDSAY!!"

Danny's heart stopped dead as the echo from the gunshot reached his ears. His already pale face whitened more, and his gun arm was shaking dramatically. He took a shaky step forward, almost losing his balance before Flack grabbed his arm, pulling him away from the door. Danny struggled against Don's grip on his arm.

"LIINDSAY!!"

It took Mac, Hawkes and Flack to hold back a now terrified Danny from barging into the warehouse. As much as they wanted to get in there, they didn't know how safe it was, and as much as they wanted to save Lindsay and Annabel, they couldn't risk any more lives than those already at stake, as much as they hated to admit it.

Mac held onto Danny while he desperately tried to get out of their grip, watching as the SWAT team kicked down the door, guns aimed ahead, trying to see anything inside the now dark warehouse.

And still Danny screamed for Lindsay.

"LIINDSAY!!"

* * *

Lindsay's mouth was dry as she sat there gaping at Annabel's motionless body, which was partially hidden behind some boxes that seemed to be ready for shipping. She had been tugging on the rope around her wrists since she'd seen Annabel move out of the corner of her eye, but only now, now that the damage had already been done, did the rope loosen. Lindsay shook the rope away and scrambled across the floor towards Annabel, desperately praying that she was still alive.

The adrenaline and fear washed through Lindsay's system, so much so that she didn't hear Danny's voice yelling for her, she didn't hear the door being kicked down. All she could focus on was Annabel.

Yet when she reached Annabel's form, she couldn't help but start to cry from grief. Annabel's eyes were still open, gazing blankly at a spot in the distance that no one but she could see. Her lips were still turned up at the corners, forming a smirk that didn't reach her lifeless eyes. Lindsay reached for her, trying to find a pulse, and Annabel's head lopped towards her, eyes boring into Lindsay's. Her body was still warm, but was cooling rapidly due to the frigid temperature inside the room.

Having found no pulse, Lindsay's eyes once again filled with tears. She wanted so badly to believe that Annabel was still clinging onto life, but the gaping wound in her chest made it impossible. From the looks of it, she'd been shot straight in the heart.

And this time, Annabel hadn't been able to take the blow.

* * *

Derek stood against one of the walls, mouth open in shock, his mind still trying to figure out what had happened. The bitch was dead, but she shouldn't be dead. Not yet. Not until she'd been made to suffer. The bitch had fucked up his plans. Again. Except this time, Derek wouldn't be able to get his own back. By sacrificing her life for the cop, she'd made one final statement to the world, a statement that showed that Derek hadn't won, that he'd never won. Derek was filled with rage towards the dead women lying on the floor, but now, he'd never be able to get his revenge.

Although his body had tensed with anger and was poised to attack the cop, his logical mind, maybe for the first time in years, finally broke through. Lindsay may not have heard the shouts from outside, she might not have heard the breaking down of the door, but Derek had. And his mind told him that if he didn't do something soon, he'd be trapped. Almost falling across the fall, he grabbed at Lindsay, pulling her away from the bitch by her hair. Lindsay's wince and gasp just fuelled his determination to get his own back. Still grasping her hair, he dragged her across the floor, looking for an exit.

If he didn't make it out, then he wouldn't be the only one going down. Maybe he would get his revenge after all.

* * *

"LIINDSAY!!" Danny roared her name one last time before breaking free of his friends and running full pelt towards the door. He ignored his friend's shouts for him to stop, and just kept running, his mind solely focused on finding Lindsay, making sure she was alright.

Danny had always believed himself to be a failure when it came to people he loved. First Louie, then Stella's attack, then Aiden's death. He'd failed them all. But now, he couldn't fail. Not when the person he was saving meant more than life itself.

* * *

Stella watched hopelessly as Danny raced off, but didn't hesitate to run after him. If he was going in, they all were. Lindsay was their friend too, and Annabel, although young and traumatised, was also considered as a friend.

Pulling out her gun and training it in front of her, she followed Danny into the warehouse. The room was dark, but from what she could tell, it was just one large room, with maybe one smaller office built into the back. It didn't take long for her eyes to become accustomed to the dark, her years of being a CSI working the nightshift was finally paying off. She carried on through the building, covering's Danny's back, until she felt him stop.

* * *

Flack swore under his breath before taking after Danny. It wasn't that he couldn't understand why Danny was doing it, but he couldn't help but think that Danny's mind was solely focused on Lindsay, rather than his own safety. But then, in this situation, it wasn't just a civilian's life they were saving. This was their friends'.

Once inside, he fanned out from Danny, the SWAT officers securing the numerous boxes scattered randomly around the room. His eyes too had become accustomed to the dark, and he made his way around on of the larger stacks of boxes, before seeing a blur of movement in his peripheral vision. Squinting through the dark, he caught a glimpse of Derek, and he heard Lindsay's gasp of pain, and immediately rage filled him.

"NYPD! FREEZE!"

* * *

Derek, hearing the cop behind, turned around in one swift movement, lifting the gun to Lindsay's temple. Almost immediately he felt her freeze, as he pressed the still slightly warm barrel hard against her skin.

"Move and she dies." He hissed. He felt the rest of the room freeze and the tension rose dramatically.

* * *

Danny had moved next to Flack silently, so as not to provoke Derek. He saw Lindsay frozen from fear, a gun against her temple, and he felt his heart plummet to the floor for what felt like th 100th time in days. His eyes sought hers, and he tried to communicate to her not to worry, that he would sort everything out, that he'd make sure she'd be safe. That he loved her.

He saw her eyes fill with tears, and he tried not to let his emotions control his mind. If he did, Lindsay would die.

* * *

Nobody had discovered Annabel yet. Her body was still among the shadows of the warehouse, and she remained hidden until Hawkes, his eyes roaming desperately to find a solution to their problem, saw her foot sticking out from behind a box.

"Oh my god Annabel!"

He made to move towards her, until Derek's voice stopped him cold.

"I wouldn't bother Detective. She's already dead."

* * *

_Please review - i'm feeling slightly blue and could use the encouragement, esp as i don't know where this is going yet._


	21. Chapter 21

_Woop I managed to write the next bit of the story, despite major writer's block. Please please please let me know if it's any good - i wasn't sure if it was too predictable or not._

_Thanks to all my reviewers, i love you all. I want to say a special thanks to Laura, muse girl at BGS_

_Enjoy :)_

* * *

_She's already dead._

The words echoed through the already silent room, causing the team to gasp in utter disbelief. They'd come too late.

Not wanting to believe Derek, Hawkes stumbled forwards and rounded the crates stacked to one side. His breath left his body in another gasp. The blood, the vacant expression, the numerous cuts and injuries that covered her body.

Still not wanting to believe they were too late, Hawkes dropped to his knees, before hesitantly crawling to where Annabel lay. Just as Lindsay had minutes before, he felt for a pulse in her already damaged wrist.

Nothing.

Hawkes looked up to find the other team members staring silently at him, their message clear. He shook his head slightly.

She was gone.

Mac watched as Hawkes shook his head, before feeling his heart plummet once more. Mac had always been a master of hising his emotions, but even now, he was struggling to hide his fear. Derek had now killed 3 people, 3 women. And now he had his sights set on Lindsay.

* * *

Danny kept his eyes focused on Lindsay. He needed her strength. He could tell that she was terrified, that she was grieving, that she was physically hurt. But still she fought on, refusing to cry so that Derek wouldn't think she was a weak target.

Sensing that Danny was struggling, Flack jumped in.

"It's over Derek. You have nowhere to go. Let Detective Monroe go, and you might just save yourself some trouble later on."

Derek looked as if he was pondering over what Flack had said, but then his evil grin once again took residence on his face."No Detective, I don't think I will. While I have her, I hold all the cards. And as much as you might hate me, I don't think you're willing to risk the life of sweet Lindsay, do you?"

"What do you want?" Danny hissed, fighting very hard not to lose any of his already weakened self-control.

"What do I want? What I wanted was for Annabel to suffer. I wanted to watch her suffer, for all the years she made me suffer. I wanted to make her life hell. I wanted her dead. But seeing as she jumped in front of the bullet meant for Miss Monroe here, she kinda put her foot in my plans."

Hearing that Annabel sacrificed her life to save his girlfriend, Danny's knees almost gave out. Lindsay had been an inch from death. And it was only because of Annabel that Lindsay was still with him.

"So now," Derek continued, oblivious to Danny's reaction, "That leaves me in a slightly sticky situation. See, I had it all planned. I was going to kill Miss Monroe here, because I know Annabel would have felt so guilty about her death. Then I was going to kill Annabel, slowly and painfully, in revenge."

"Revenge for what?"

Derek spluttered, and tightened his hold around Lindsay's neck. "What do you mean, revenge for what? For making my life miserable, that's why. If she had given me another chance all those years ago, it wouldn't have come to this. She humiliated me. She rejected me."

"So you decided to stab her?"

"She had it coming. She spread all sorts of lies about me. Told people things that I'd told her in confidence. After we split, people began to avoid me. My friends wouldn't talk to me anymore. She just carried on with her life as if I'd never existed. Like I'd never meant anything to her. She wasn't going to get away with that."

"So why did you kill Paige and Tiffany? Just to get back at her?"

"Technically yes. But there were other reasons. Tiffany was a nice enough girl. She wasn't like Paige; she tried her best to support what me and Annabel had. But after the split, when I tried to make amends, she turned me away. Told me that it was better if I just walked away. That it would be better to pretend that there never was a relationship, just as Annabel was pretending. She wouldn't help me get Annabel back. And Paige, Paige hated me. She never supported mine and Annabel's relationship. She went out of her way to be nasty and she didn't even try to hide it. She kept Annabel away from me as much as possible, tried to make her split with me. She even told me that it wasn't right to use emotional blackmail. She of all people told me that? How dare she?"

"She saw straight through you. She knew you weren't any good for Annabel, and she tried to protect her friend. From where I stand, you're in the wrong." Stella spat out, moving to stand next to Don and Danny, silently offering her support, her strength, her faith.

"I'd be very careful Detectives" Derek hissed "After all, I'm the one who holds someone's life in their hands." With that, as if to make a point, he pushed the gun against Lindsay's temple.

"Wouldn't want me to pull the trigger now, would we?"

* * *

"Who says you won't kill her anyway?" Mac's voice cut through the silence.

Derek smirked once more. "Well, I don't make any promises I can't keep."

"But whats the point?" All eyes, Derek's included, turned to Danny, who stood there, frozen in fear, unable to take his eyes of his Montana.

"What do you mean, Detective Messer?" Derek retorted sharply.

"What's the point in killing her? Annabel is dead. You can't make her suffer anymore. So killing Lindsay would be pointless."

"I'm sure it would serve a purpose, it not just to get my own back for her investigative skills."

"But why? Annabel is not here anymore. She isn't going to know whether to kill Lindsay or not. Think about it, the only point of killing Lindsay was to make Annabel suffer. Now that she's gone, Lindsay's death would have no purpose. And even if you wanted to kill her for solving the case against you, that would also be pointless. If it hadn't been Lindsay on the case, it would have been one of us, and we'd still have found and convicted you, because you're guilty. And you know it."

Derek stared at Danny, mouth gaping. The team could see the cogs turning in Derek's head as he tried to think of a justifiable reason to kill Lindsay.

"Just give it up. There's nothing left to fight for Derek. Annabel is dead, and she isn't coming back." Danny hoped that his words had done enough, that soon he'd have Lindsay safe in his arms, but his hope soon disappeared as a look of spite crossed Derek's face.

"Nice try Detective. Even if I don't have a reason to kill her yet doesn't mean I won't. At the moment, she's my bargaining tool. So don't try anything. Or I will kill her. Here and now."

* * *

Danny watched, helpless, as Lindsay's eyes widened even further in fear. She could no longer hide the look of terror that crossed her face, just as she couldn't hide the gash across her forehead. Closing her eyes to combat the wave of dizziness that briefly marred her vision, she felt as if she was about to pass out. She wanted to give in to the pain that she was so desperately trying to hide from Danny. Opening her eyes once more, she saw that Danny's eyes had widened in alarm. She tried to convey as much comfort as she could into her gaze, as well as trying to hide her fear. But she could tell that the team weren't convinced.

If she'd been able to, she would have wept with relief when she heard Flack's voice echo through the warehouse. But Derek had reacted quickly, placing his arm around his throat, applying enough pressure to make breathing difficult, and putting the barrel of the gun against her head. There was no way that she'd be able to get herself out of this situation - she'd have to rely on the others, and hope that Derek didn't lose his cool.

She'd felt her heart contract when she saw Danny, his eyes wild from fear. She could see that he was panicked, that he was close to losing his already weakened control. Could see the love in his eyes.

It was then she knew that she had to survive this. If she didn't, she didn't know what would happen to Danny. He'd lost too much already.

And she'd be damned if she'd give up something that, for the first time, had made her feel loved.

* * *

By now, the whole team was stood in a line, separated from Derek and Lindsay by about 10 feet. Behind them, the SWAT team stood, poised in position, waiting for orders or a chance to shoot down the enemy. Between them, they had managed to surround Derek and Lindsay, until the only escape route was the door behind Derek.

Derek, sensing that he was outnumbered, began to think through all of his options. Not that he had many. He could shoot Lindsay there, and be shot down by what seemed like the whole NYPD, or he could continue using her for leverage. He thought that the second option would be safer, but that was until he realised that the room behind him was a dead end. No windows, no doors.

Derek was well and truly trapped.

But as he stood there, he made his choice. He didn't want to be taken out by God knows how many bullets, and he didn't want to spend the rest of his life in jail. Nor was he planning on spending the rest of his life running. No, now, Derek only had one option.

* * *

Danny had had to lower his gun arm it was shaking so much. But now, even though he was still terrified, he felt his anger building. How dare a man do this to someone? How dare he wreck the lives around him, just because of misplaced anger? How dare he try and take away the best thing in Danny's life?

"It's over Derek. If you let her go now, we won't have to shoot you." His anger came through loud and clear in his voice, and it made Derek stand up straighter."You don't make the demands here Detective. I do. I'm the one who has the power to take away the love of your life. Don't test me, or I might be forced to."

"No you won't." Mac cut in. "If you do, you'll have nothing left to bargain with, and then we'll have no choice but to shoot you. Face it, it's over."

Derek knew when he was cornered. Narrowing his eyes, he pulled the gun away from Lindsay's temple, keeping his arm around her throat, and reached into his coat pocket. He pulled out a little black box.

Danny's mouth dried up as he realised what the man was holding. "Is that a…?"

Hearing the question, Derek locked eyes with Danny, terrified meeting psychotic. "Yes Messer. It is."

Stella too had frozen in place. "It's a bomb trigger."

* * *

_Too predictable? Let me know what you think, I found this bit really hard to write and I'd love to know if it paid off as a chapter._

_Please review :)_


	22. Chapter 22

_Wow I got loads of reviews for the last chapter - thanks so much guys, I'm glad you like it. I hope you enjoy the next bit as much._

_Disclaimer: Own nothing, even if i wished on a birthday candle._

_Thanks again to Laura who gave me so much help with this chapter._

* * *

Danny's mouth went dry. Derek had a bomb. And now everyone was in much more danger than they'd imagined.

Derek's sadistic smile returned once more, having once again taken control. If Derek decided to blow up the bomb, they'd all die. And he knew it. But he knew that the control wouldn't last long. Deciding on what to do, he shuffled backwards, forcing Lindsay to comply as his arm pressed against her throat, cutting off her supply of oxygen.

As Derek moved, everyone else in the room tensed, and Derek noticed that the SWAT team still had their guns trained on him. If he wasn't careful, they'd take him out before he got a chance to do anything. Stopping abruptly, he waved his gun in their direction.

"I want those men out of here now. And I want the rest of you to put your guns on the floor where I can see them."

* * *

Mac looked around helpless as he considered his options. If the SWAT team left, they would no longer be able to cover Derek from all angles. But then again, they weren't dealing with a shooter anymore. They were dealing with a possible bomber. Mac knew that if SWAT didn't leave, Derek would be more likely to set off the bomb, and there would be a much greater loss of life. Besides, SWAT weren't trained to deal with bombers. What more could they do?

The SWAT leader looked to Mac, waiting for a decision. Mac had the ultimate authority over these men, and whatever he decided the leader would comply with. Mac sighed in defeat, before nodding his head slightly.

With that, SWAT left the building.

* * *

Before they could all leave, Stella stopped them.

"Wait."

Two of the men turned around. "Take her with you." Stella indicated towards Annabel's lifeless body. "She shouldn't be put through anymore." Stella knew that it was a possibility that Derek would explode the bomb, and she didn't want Annabel's body to become any more damaged than it already was. As much as Stella might have hated to admit it, she knew that Annabel could now be classed as evidence. They needed to send Derek away forever. And Annabel was the key to that. It would have been what she wanted - to take Derek down once and for all.

After a quick glance at Mac, who again nodded, the men did as they were told. Carefully, they picked her up, being careful not to add to her list of injuries. Without another backwards glance, they too left the building.

* * *

Derek had considered stopping them from removing Annabel's body. If he exploded the bomb, then she'd be blown apart. But what, he reasoned, was the point. She was dead. And his revenge would be wasted.

"The guns, detectives."

Although they clearly weren't happy about it, the team put their guns on the floor. Derek was now the only one left with a weapon. A weapon that could potentially cause a lot of death.

Danny still couldn't take his eyes away from Lindsay, who he could tell was in pain. The anger bubbled within him, but he kept in dampened down, for once in his life, as he knew that if he showed his anger, the results would be unpredictable. As much as he wanted to beat Derek into an unrecognisable pulp, he knew he couldn't. Lindsay's safety was his priority.

"What do you want Derek?" Danny's voice was pleading, pleading for Derek to let go of his grudge. He watched as Derek's eyes narrowed briefly, and they flicked between him and Lindsay. After a few seconds, his eyes widened in understanding.

"Why are you so concerned Detective? You never have been before." Derek was getting to Danny, and he knew that soon, Danny would break. As if to emphasise his point, he pushed harder on Lindsay's throat, so much so that she let out a high pitched noise and a gagging sound, indicating that she couldn't breath.

Danny couldn't stand her pain any longer. "Please, no. Please don't hurt her." He knew he was begging but at that moment he didn't care.

It seemed that Derek was satisfied with what he said, and so reduced the pressure on Lindsay's throat.

"What do I want Detective? I don't know to be honest with you. What I wanted can't happen. So I think that the answer to your question would be that I want you to let me walk out of here, unharmed. But I am aware of how you'd respond to that, which doesn't leave me many options, does it?"

"Derek please. Put down the trigger, let Lindsay go. We could work something out."

"No Detective, I don't think we can. It's too late for that. Which is a shame. This is just the way that it has to be."

With that, Derek let go of Lindsay's throat, and pushed her forwards, so hard that she toppled over and hit the floor with a smack.

"Lindsay!"

Ignoring Danny, and the rest of the team, Derek spun around and forced open the door behind him, before slamming it shut. The team could clearly here the lock turn in the door, and then heard Derek's muffled voice.

"30 seconds, Detectives. Get out while you still can."

That's when they heard the quite but consistent ticking.

* * *

Before she hit the floor, Danny was already running towards her. He fell down next to her, and was dismayed to see that she appeared to be unconscious. Her head had started bleeding again, and her breathing was irregular.

After hearing Derek's voice, Danny tried desperately to wake Lindsay up, and was relieved to see that she was stirring.

"Come on Montana, wake up. Don't tell me you country girls are weak."

With that her eyes flicked open and she gasped out, "Not weak."

"Come on Linds, we gotta go. Now!"

Wit the help of Sheldon, Danny managed to pull Lindsay to her feet, and they began staggering towards the door. Despite their best efforts, they weren't making quick time, and if Danny had calculated right, they had about 15 seconds before the bomb went off.

The rest of the team were ahead of them, Flack having stopped to retrieve the guns with the help of Stella, and Mac rushing forwards to warn the team outside.

"GET AWAY FROM THE BUILDING NOW! THE BOMB IS ABOUT TO GO OFF!" Mac's voice spurred the men outside into action, men dispersing, trying to find cover before the inevitable explosion. Derek was forgotten as the team tried to escape from the building.

_Five._

Having reached the door, Danny had reached 5 in his head. Still trying to get Lindsay to move faster, he sent out a silent prayer. _Please don't let me lose her now that I have her back._

_Four._

Lindsay stumbled forwards, nearly ending up on her face again, until Danny and Sheldon managed to stead her, before once again surging forwards.

_Three._

Sheldon supported Lindsay, with one of her arms hanging over his shoulder, the other over Danny's, his mind solely focused on getting his friends away from the building.

_Two._

"Come on Linds, just a little further. Not far now." Danny's voice calmed the panic in Lindsay's head, but still she knew that they weren't going to make it before the blast. At least Mac, Flack and Stella had made it to cover.

_One._

The bomb exploded, and the force sent Lindsay off of her feet, forcing her away from Danny and Hawkes. The sound of glass shattering, and the heat of newly ignited fire were the last things that Lindsay was aware of before falling into the blackness once more.

* * *

_ I can be really nasty with the cliffies can't I? Well please review, I'd love to know what you think - think I should kill anyone else? :P_


	23. Chapter 23

_Here is the next installment. After reading what may happen in season 5, i had to have a soppy bit, but be warned, i do not know if it is any good, I am much better at angst._

_Thanks as always goes to my reviewers - I love you all a lot_

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything, even though i wish i could have even a little piece of Danny for myself_

_Enjoy!!_

* * *

There was dust and smoke everywhere, making it impossible to see. The sound of fire raging in the decimated building filled everyone's ears. People yelling and screaming, crying for help, calling for each other, hoping for an answer.

The sound of the explosion was echoing in Lindsay's ears. Wincing as she lifted her head, she squinted, trying to see through the dust. Failing that, she glanced down at herself, checking herself for any major injuries. Sighing in relief that she didn't have any major injuries like Flack had done before. She did notice that she had several cuts and scrapes, but she could no longer tell if they had been from Derek or from the blast.

Her mind racing, she looked around wildly. Danny and Sheldon. Where were they? The last thing she remembered was being ripped away from them by the force of the blast.

Pushing away bits of wood and glass that covered her clothing, she scrambled to her feet. Taking a step forward, she nearly stumbled as the dizziness in her head intensified. Falling on to her knees, she landed heavily.

"Shit!"

She'd landed on a sharp piece of glass, which had sliced through the skin on her palm. Shaking her head, she tried to force the pain to the back of her mind, as she got to her feet again, teeth gritted in determination. She tried once again to get her bearings.

"DANNY? SHELDON? WHERE ARE YOU?" She screamed at the top of her voice, her voice catching as tears threatened to overtake her.

"DANNY!" She yelled again, images of him lying injured or dead plaguing her mind, no matter how hard she tried to ignore them.

She heard a coughing from her left. Spinning round, she headed towards the sound, praying that it would be Danny, praying that he'd be ok. After nearly falling twice more, she fell on to her knees once more, using her hands to navigate her through the rubble.

"Danny? Are you there?"

Now she could hear the coughing more clearly, and it definitely sounded like a male voice. Scrambling forwards, she found a broken piece of wood, almost her size in length. Underneath she could see a leg. Pulling the piece of wood towards her, she managed to reveal a stunned looking Hawkes peering at her from underneath the rubble.

"Hawkes! Are you alright?"

Hawkes sat up, brushing the rubble away from his clothes, assessing the damage. "Yeah, I'm alright, I think I'm more in shock than anything else. You?"

"I'll be fine. Do you know where Danny is?" Lindsay's panic rang out clearly in her voice.

"No he was on the other side of you, so probably got blown in the other direction. He was also closer to the blast."

"Damn it! Can you move?"

"Yeah. Come on, lets go find Danny. You go back the way you came, and I'll look for the others. I hope they didn't get caught in the blast." His voice trailed off.

Just then, they heard someone frantically calling their names. "Lindsay? Sheldon? Danny? Where are you?" It sounded like Stella.

"Over here!" Hawkes yelled back.

"Mac, Flack, over here!" The sound of her voice came closer, and soon enough, her figure could be seen through the now clearing dust. Once she was in clear sight, her fear was obvious in her face, but her relief at seeing her two friend's ok was obvious. Sinking down next to them, she pulled them each into a hug. "Thank god you guys are all right." Then she looked around puzzled. "Where's Danny?"

Hawkes answered for her. "We don't know. We got separated after the explosion."

Just then Mac and Don appeared, worry etched deeply into their features. They joined the three on the floor, thankful that they'd found at least two of their team, but still worried about the third. Mac, once again, tried to take charge of the situation. "Come on guys, we can't do anything just sitting here. It won't do Danny any good. We should just let search and rescue do their job."

Lindsay looked up at her boss in disbelief. "What? We have to find Danny!"

Mac took pity on her, knowing all to well that she was desperately worried about her other half. "Linds, we aren't equipped for this. And you're in no shape to keep looking."

Needless to say, he wasn't all to surprised when she didn't agree. "No Mac, I can't just sit around doing nothing. Danny could be hurt out there, and I won't wait around while they clear the area. I'm going now. I can wait for treatment. Danny might not have that sort of time."

With that, she got up, and ran back into the smoke. "Lindsay! Come back. It's not safe!" Mac yelled. "Lindsay!"

But it was too late. She was gone.

* * *

"She's right you know Mac." Stella piped up. "We can't just sit here. We need to find Danny and search and rescue won't be here for at least 15 minutes. We could have found him by then."

Mac looked at her, saw the determination in her eyes, and knew that she wouldn't back down. He could see the same expression in the eyes of Flack and Hawkes. Truth be told, he didn't want to wait for search and rescue, but he didn't know if his team would be up to the search themselves. He should have known better. He too wanted to search for Danny, who was like a son to him, and he knew that it was what they should do. It was what they needed to do.

"Ok." Mac agreed. "But work in pairs. I don't want to lose anyone else in this mess."

With that, the team split off.

* * *

"Danny!" Lindsay screamed into the smoke, trying not to cough as she inhaled the dust and debris scattered about her. She knew that she should have listened to Mac, that he was only looking out for her, but now her concern was not for herself. It was for Danny.

The dust had cleared somewhat since the blast, but seeing was still difficult. Breathing was just as hard, especially for Lindsay, who already had problems breathing.

Walking forwards, she found the spot where they had been standing when the bomb had gone off. Facing back the way she came, she tried to work out an angle so she would have some sort of direction in which to search. Taking a chance, she veered off to her right, still calling his name, hoping she'd hear him shout back.

"Lindsay."

She stopped suddenly, swearing she could hear her name being called quietly. Trying to block out all of the other noise, from the fire, the sirens, the people yelling, she focused solely on trying to find out if she had in fact heard something. "Danny?" She called out, hoping for a response. After a few seconds, she hadn't heard anything, and, disappointed, she started to continue her search. Maybe he was unconscious, maybe he'd already got out, maybe…

"Lindsay." She heard it again, louder this time. Bending down, she started to move away the rubble, which seemed to have ended up all in one area. Dragging away pieces of wood, corrugated iron and glass fragments, she kept on calling his name, and felt her heart leap for joy when she heard him answer. Everytime.

"I'm coming Danny. Just hold on ok."

She removed one large piece of iron, and nearly felt her heart stop when she saw his hand. Grabbing it, she tried to send as much comfort she could in one go. She almost laughed when she heard him respond.

"You know Montana, you don't have to hold my hand that hard, I'd like to keep it attached to my body."

She let go of his hand, embarrassed, and continued to move the debris, this time, his hand helping to push away the remnants of the explosion. Once all the rubble had been cleared, she helped pull him into a sitting position, and once he'd regained his balance, threw her arms around his neck. He pulled himself up into a kneeling position, the same position in which Lindsay was sat, and returned the hug, glancing skywards, thanking whatever powers that be that she was ok.

Holding her tighter, he whispered into her ear "I thought I'd lost you."

Pulling back, she looked into his eyes, his fear still obvious behind his broken glasses. Touching her forehead to his, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply, before answering "But you didn't."

"But I could have. And that scares me so badly Linds. Don't ever do this to me again ok?"

"I'll try. But in our line of work, I can't promise anything." She said it jokingly, thinking he had been joking, but when she opened her eyes, and was met with his deep blue and troubled ones, she knew he wasn't.

"I'm being serious Linds. When he took you, when I saw what he'd done to the elevator, when I saw him with his gun to your temple, my heart nearly stopped. I kept thinking about how I'd never forgiven myself if I'd lost you. I should have been more careful, should have kept a closer eye on you. I should have been able to protect you from him, and I didn't. I don't know what I'd do without you…" his voice trailed off as he was unable to further vocalise his torment of the last few hours.

Lindsay looked at him, shocked as he began to cry. "Danny, you can't be blaming yourself for this. You can't. At the end of the day, it was me that should have been more careful. I shouldn't have run off, shouldn't have pushed everyone away who was trying to protect me. And because I didn't listen…"Her voice waived, but she carried on, tears now running down her cheeks "Because I didn't listen, Annabel is dead. He was going to kill me, and she saved me. But even I can't blame myself for that, because this was all Derek. None of this would have happened if not for him. So just let the blame lie with him, where it belongs."

Danny looked deep into her eyes, then pulled her to him again. After the last few hours, he didn't want to let her go, afraid that someone might take her away again. But Derek was gone now, and she was once again safe in his arms. He swore to himself again that he'd do everything he could to protect her, because know he knew that sometimes there was nothing he could do.

After a while of just holding each other, he took a deep breath, and whispered what he wished he'd said so many times before. "I love you Linds."

He could feel Lindsay smile against his neck. "I love you too Danny."

They stayed that way a long time after that, still just holding on, both of them thankful that they'd finally got a chance to say what they'd always known.

* * *

_Please review. I don't know if the 'sweet' bit worked out or not. Only a couple more chapters left!!_


	24. Chapter 24

_Second to last chapter is now here!! This one is apparently quite angsty so don't say I didn't warn you_

_HUGE thanks to Laura (Cowboysteel) who wrote the second speech for me (by the way, the soliciting story is totally true) and gave me many ideas!! You are a fab writer lovey :)_

_Thanks to all my reviews so far, i hope you like this bit, so let me know if you do_

_Disclaimer: Own nothing. At all. Honest to god._

* * *

The sun was shining, and the sky was perfectly clear. Lindsay looked up at the sky resentfully - today was not the day for perfect weather. But the world carried on as normal, however much she shouted at it to stop. People carried on with their normal, everyday lives, laughing, crying, spending time with those they loved most. They carried on oblivious to what had been lost.

Today was the day of Annabel's and Tiffany's funerals. And Lindsay was not looking forward to it one bit. She hated the fact that today was the day that she had to truly accept that Annabel had gone, that she was never coming back.

It was a week after the explosion. To Lindsay, the last week had been a blur. She could remember time in hospital, in her apartment, but all of her memories since finding Danny were a mix of colour and harsh emotion that Lindsay didn't know what to do with.

She stood outside the church, dressed entirely in black, trying to gather the courage to walk in and sit down with the rest of the mourners. The rest of the team had already gone inside, aware that Lindsay would need a moment to compose herself. She felt like she had at her friend's funerals, all those years before, wanting to say goodbye, but being terrified of having to accept they were gone forever, terrified of having to face all those people who knew she was the only survivor. Mostly, she was scared of seeing the mothers. And the same fear held true today. She didn't want to face Annabel's parents, Tiffany's parents. She didn't want to have to explain why their daughters lost their lives, why one desperate man had taken everything away from them.

Taking one last look around her, trying to absorb some comfort from the weather she had only moments ago cursed, she entered the church. The service would be starting in a minute, and she wasn't going to miss it, even if she felt like running, running as far away from this place as her legs could carry her.

She slid into the pew next to Danny, who gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, offering the strength and support she'd need to get through the day. She smiled briefly at the other members of the team, which even included Sid and Adam, who had come to pay their respects to the two fallen women. She was secretly glad that they had all came - she could feel their support and she felt safe, for the first time since all this had begun.

Steeling herself, she looked around the church. She could see the two ebony caskets at the front, both sealed. She could see the parents, the sisters, the aunts and uncles, all occupying the first few rows, trying to console each other whilst desperately trying to hold themselves together. She could even see the friends, could see them crying for the friends they had lost, the friends that had been taken away from them all too soon.

Smothering a sob, she looked back at her hands, holding back the tears that she so badly wanted to let go. She had refused to let herself cry all week, holding onto some belief that neither girl was truly gone. She'd never known Tiffany, but if she'd been friends with Annabel, then she must have truly been a special person. But now the day was finally here, the day that she had to say goodbye, and she didn't know if she was ready for that. Even having known Annabel for only a short time, her loss caused Lindsay physical pain.

The church now was silent apart from the sobs and the smothered cries of the occupants. The minister walked down the isle, and those that could manage it stood respectfully. Lindsay saw through the gap in the crowd that the mothers both tried to stand, but their grief was so great that their knees couldn't support them, and they sank back onto the pew, the tears never ceasing. The minister cast a sympathetic look towards them, before turning to face the gathered crowd of mourners.

As he began his eulogy for both girls, Lindsay let her tears fall, finally feeling the true extent of loss. She leant onto Danny's shoulder, trying to gain some comfort as her body wracked with sobs. She could hear Stella crying a few seats away, and when she raised her head, she could see tear tracks glistening on everyone else's faces.

The minister spoke for a long time, about the girls, about their pasts, about how saddening it was when life was taken away so cruelly. He spoke about their most treasured memories, ones which their families could always keep with them when the times got harder. Spoke about how now, they were in a better place, where no one could hurt them anymore.

Lindsay listened as he spoke, trying to remember as much as she could about what made the girls who they were in life. She eventually gave in, the pain of knowing what the girls could have been, of what the world had lost becoming too much for her. She focused more when Annabel's father stood. He looked consumed by grief that his little girl was gone, but as he began to talk, his voice barely shook.

"When Paige died a few months ago, and I attended her funeral, I couldn't help but admire her father for making a speech. I was so sure that I wouldn't ever be able to do something like this, and I hoped that I wouldn't ever have to. A child shouldn't die before their parents. But here we all are today, trying to come to terms with the loss of two women, our children, that shouldn't have been here. I don't really know how to talk about Annabel and Tiffany. Sometimes I half expect them to walk through the door, even though I know they won't.

Tiffany was one of my daughter's best friends, and she was always welcome around our house. She acted much older than she was, but she knew how to have fun. Yet she kept my daughter grounded - she always was more logical and went with her instincts. Me and my wife loved her as a daughter, she was always entertaining us with stories about what she'd gotten up to during the week, or what plans she had for the future. She didn't deserve this to happen to her, she was always so full of energy and always wanting to do something that its so hard for us to imagine that she won't be running around anymore. We both hope that wherever you are now, you can find something to keep you as energetic and as happy as you were in life." Taking a deep breath, he continued

"Annabel was always my little girl, no matter how old she got. I can always remember her as a little girl, surrounded by her toys that she took everywhere with her. I remember the fuss we had when she lost one. As she grew up, I couldn't help but admire her. She always knew what she wanted in life, and she how to get it. She faced some very hard times as a child, but she always came through it, the experiences making her stronger.

My daughter was always so full of life, and she tried so hard to move on from her past, tried so hard to help the others around her. When I heard about how she died, sacrificing herself to save another, I couldn't help but be proud of her. She'd always go out of her way to help others even if it put her at risk. Now that she's gone, all I can say is that, sweetie, I hope where you are now, you're happy and that you can finally get that peace you were looking for all your life. I'm so proud of you, you did what you knew was best, you fought hard and you never let us down. Me and your mother love you so much. Remember that."

With that, his voice broke and he began to sob for his fallen daughter. The minister helped him back to where he sat, where his wife grasped his hand as they both cried. Annabel's two sisters sat to their right, tears pouring down their faces, both sobbing so loud Lindsay thought her heart might break. She wanted to run, to get as far away from all the pain as she could, but she knew that she owed it to Annabel to stay.

Tiffany's father then stood, and spoke about his own daughter and her relationship with Annabel. He couldn't finish however, although he had been crying throughout the ceremony, he began sobbing heavily and he sank to the floor, where he started pounding the cold stones, his grief unbearable any longer.

Lindsay tensed as Tiffany and Annabel's friend Abigail stood to talk about two of her best friends, as a spokesperson for all those who remained behind. Her eyes were bloodshot, and tears could be seen on her face, but nonetheless she began to talk in a shaky, yet powerful voice that would have reached Annabel, Paige and Tiffany wherever they were.

"I never thought I would be up here right now, saying goodbye to my two best friends. I thought when we buried Paige that it would be the last time I had to suffer this, but seemingly, God had other plans. Annabel and Tiffany, they were truly the best people you could ever meet, kind and sweet. They would do anything for anyone, Tiffany was like a mum to all of us and Annabel was adorable, her laughter infectious - I will never forget the moment when Tiffany's dad asked her what she wanted to do for a living and Annabel replied soliciting. I never laughed so much, and i don't think i ever will again." Her voice caught, and she had to compose herself, looking at the church ceiling to try and maintain her already cracked composure. She sobbed before she could stop herself, but she shook herself and carried on

"This is the hardest thing I've ever done, and I know that somewhere they are watching and heckling me as I try to talk in front of people. They know how much I hate doing things like this. Thanks guys, not helping." She laughed sadly, and some of their other friends joined in, thankful for a moment of relief from their pain.

"I can't believe I'll never get to see you again, never get to laugh with you, cry with you. But I hope you know that, wherever you are, we are always thinking of you and as long as the sun still shines, we'll miss you. Tell Paige that we say hi. So until we meet again…" She broke off, unable to take the pain any longer. Lindsay's heart clenched again as she thought, it isn't fair on these girls. They lost one friend, and now two more are taken from them? Life isn't fair.

Lindsay couldn't take it any longer. She stopped looking towards the front of the church and put her head between her knees, rocking backwards and forwards slightly until she felt a hand on the small of her back. Danny. He looked at her concerned, and leant forwards. "You alright?"

"No." Lindsay answered through her sobs that still wracked her body. "This isn't right. It's not fair." She sat up and once again leant on Danny, who whispered into her hair "I know. I know its not." Danny put an arm around her shoulders, trying to comfort her. He knew she wasn't any good at these situations. But he also knew that she needed to grieve, that she needed to feel the pain rather than bottle it all up and explode later. He just held her, letting her know that he would be there unconditionally when she needed to talk.

Whilst their exchange had been going on, the service had finished. Well, at least inside the church. The minister spoke. "Please would everyone follow me. We are now moving to the grave sites." Lindsay's heart leapt into her mouth as she saw Annabel's mother approach her, half supported by her husband. She wasn't any good with mothers. She wiped away the still streaming tears from her face and tried to give the mother a comforting glance. "I'm sorry for your loss." She almost whispered once they were stood in front of her.

Without warning, the mother, Lisa, pulled Lindsay into a hug, sobbing into her hair. Lindsay, although shocked, moved to hug the grieving woman, feeling her tears start again as she realised how much Lisa had lost.

"Thank you my dear. I know you're feeling the loss of Annabel as well. We just, we wanted to thank you."

"Th..thank me?" Lindsay stuttered, unsure where the conversation was going.

"Yes dear. We know Annabel fought hard, but we just wanted to thank you for being with her. It's nice to know that she was with such a lovely person before she died. It helps us to know that she wasn't alone like poor Tiffany…" Annabel's mother sniffed, her pain obvious. Lindsay admired her for even being able to talk. "Just remember dear, Annabel did what she thought was best. And as much as we're going to miss her, we know that she made the right choice. Don't feel guilty about what happened. Just live for her now." With that, Lisa's strength disappeared, and sobs took her body again, as her husband took her hand once more, and after a brief sad smile in Lindsay's direction, he moved to walk his wife away.

Lindsay bowed her head, unable to believe that Annabel's parents weren't angry. The reaction here was so different to when her own friends had been murdered, where the parents had hated her for even attending. She pulled on the last of her strength, and walked out of the church, after everyone else.

* * *

Tiffany and Annabel were laid to rest besides Paige, in the newer part of the cemetery designed for those who had lost their lives to acts of violence. The crowd of mourners was huge, but Lindsay and the rest of the team found themselves near the front, along with the families and closest friends, all of whom were still crying.

The minister began his few words of finality. "The strength showed by both Tiffany and Annabel, the memories and the courage remind us that today is not the end. They have passed into the light. We will one day join them, but until this day, we bid you farewell. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust."

With that, the minister stopped speaking, and the coffins were lowered into the ground. Lindsay was stood next to a woman whom she didn't know, yet recognised. It took a while before she realised it was one of Annabel's sisters, Jane. Jane glanced at her, eyes full of pain, yet she smiled a sad smile, passing Lindsay 2 white stemmed roses, before turning back to the quickly disappearing remnants of her older sister, tears silent but still full of as much pain. Once the coffins were lowered fully, family members and close friends made their way closer, forming something that barely resembled a line, before each throwing a rose onto the top of each casket. Lindsay was frozen, unsure whether she should join them, until Jane nudged her, nodding slightly. Lindsay made her way forward, and once stood before the graves, she looked skyward, hoping to find a trace of Annabel's presence. She didn't see anything.

Swallowing, she threw one of the roses onto Tiffany's coffin, silently offering a prayer to the girl that she never knew. Then she looked down into Annabel's grave. She didn't want to say goodbye to her friend, but she knew that she had no choice. Annabel was gone.

"I guess this is goodbye Annabel. I won't ever forget what you've done for me." Throwing the rose down into the dark, she whispered once more "Goodbye."

* * *

_So what did you think? Like it, hate it, let me know :)_

_Only one more chapter to go so review now while you can ;)_


	25. Chapter 25

_Here is the last bit of the story - woooo! It's taken a while, but i hope you've enjoyed it, and i hope you like the ending here_

_Thanks so much to all of those who have reviewed, favourited and alerted - it means a lot to know people like my stuff_

_Disclaimer: Own nothing, even though i wish i could_

* * *

Lindsay woke up earlier than usual, the sun not yet shining. After lying in bed for about 10 minutes, she gave up on trying to sleep, her mind full of images of Annabel, of Derek, of the funerals. She sat up slowly, so as not to wake Danny - she'd woken him enough times in the week since the funeral, what with her nightmares where she ended up screaming. And she didn't need him fussing. Everytime he asked if she was ok, she answered 'yes I'm fine', when she clearly wasn't.

She knew she was closing herself off from those around her. Other than to Flack when giving her statement, she hadn't yet talked about the time in the warehouse to anybody. She knew that it was hurting Danny that she wouldn't talk to him, but she didn't know what to say. She needed time to process what had happened before she could even begin to describe how she was feeling.

Getting out of bed, she went into the bathroom to splash some water on her face. She could hear Danny snoring in the next room, effectively ruining the quiet. Danny had been there, at her side, almost every second since she'd found him after the explosion. He hated letting her out of his site, afraid that someone would take her away again. And Lindsay could appreciate his concern - they had never found Derek's body after the explosion. Whether he was dead or alive, no one knew, but Lindsay couldn't summon enough strength to care. And as much as she appreciated Danny looking out for her, she needed time by herself, she needed to feel independent again. Depending on someone else was new to her - she'd relied on herself to get herself through the torment of her friends murders, and she'd come out ok. There was no reason she couldn't use that tactic now.

Moving back into the bedroom, her mind was still jumbled with all of her tormented thoughts and feelings of guilt. She needed to go somewhere where she could be by herself to work things out in her own head. Making her decision, she got dressed. Deciding to get something to eat later when she was hungry, she made her way out of the apartment.

* * *

About 2 hours after Lindsay left, Danny woke up. He squinted against the light coming in through the curtains, whilst with the other hand felt for his glasses on the bedside table. Finding them, he out them on and sat up, trying to get the light out of his eyes. It was then he noticed that his girlfriend wasn't in bed with him.

"Montana?"

Hearing no answer, he looked around. The bathroom door had been left open, and it was obvious she wasn't in there. Her side of the bed had obviously been slept on but it was cold, as if the occupant had been gone for some time.

Starting to panic, he jumped out of bed and searched the rest of the rooms in the apartment. Nothing. She wasn't there. The apartment was empty except for him, and nothing in any of the rooms gave any indication that she'd been there.

"Lindsay?" He called out again, the worry and concern clear to anyone who happened to of heard him. Still no answer.

Swearing to himself, he hurried back into the bedroom, grabbing the nearest set of clothes he could find. He knew that she'd been withdrawn lately, but surely she wouldn't go running off somewhere without telling him? Surely she knew how dangerous that was, seeing as Derek could still be out there. But he couldn't stay angry with her - he knew that she'd been deeply affected by what had happened, and she hadn't been acting like herself for a long time.

Heading into the kitchen, he grabbed his phone, dialling her number. Her phone was switched off. He slammed his palm into the table, trying to control himself. Where was she? What was she doing? Why hadn't she said anything?

Just as he was about to call Mac to see if any of the team had heard from her, a piece of paper stuck to the fridge caught his eye. Yanking it off of the door so hard that the magnets fell off, he breathed a sigh of relief, before cursing himself for not checking that she'd left a note.

_Danny,_

_I'm just going out for a while. I need to clear my head.Don't worry about me, I'll be back soon._

_Love you _

_Montana xxx_

Ordinarily Danny would have left her to it, but recently he had become more and more concerned about her. She'd closed off from everyone, talking minimal amounts, not eating, not sleeping. If she continued to bottle up her emotions, she'd give herself a break down. So he couldn't help but worry.

Deciding to go and find her, he grabbed his jacket and his keys before heading out of the door. The trouble was, he didn't know where she would be.

* * *

Lindsay was sat crossed legged on the grass, staring at the words etched into the stone before her. She'd been sat there for almost two hours, but she couldn't feel the cold, couldn't feel the wind. Couldn't feel anything except the guilt.

_Annabel Fletcher, Beloved Daughter and Friend_

The words echoed in her mind. She sat there, trying to block out the memories that were threatening to overwhelm her. One in particular stuck in her mind.

The day after the explosion, Lindsay had made her way to down to see Sid in autopsy. He'd reluctantly let her see Annabel, thoughtfully covering the disturbing Y incision down her front, knowing the distress that her death was causing Lindsay. She'd stood there, and she'd held on of Annabel's hands, trying to put life back into them. But still, Annabel lay there, unmoving, as if in a deep sleep. But Lindsay knew this was a sleep from which she would not awaken. She'd listened carefully to Sid as he described her injuries: a broken ankle and fractured wrist, 3 broken ribs, extensive bruising, a concussion, and of course, the bullet to the heart. Lindsay couldn't quite believe how much pain she would have been it, yet she still managed to jump in front of the bullet meant for Lindsay. Her strength and determination amazed her.

Lindsay's attention was brought back to the gravestone. Looking at the flowers, and the tribute notes that had bee left there by her friends and family, she once again felt a deep sense of loss.

"I never meant for this to happen you know. You shouldn't be the one under there. I should. That bullet was meant for me."

As she talked, she felt a release that she hadn't felt for a long time. Danny was right, people should talk about things. Trouble was the person she needed to talk to, to sort herself out, was no longer around. That was why she'd come here, in a hope that Annabel would be able to hear her.

"I still don't know why you did it. I guess it was a type of revenge, the last thing you could do to throw everything back in Derek's face. And it worked. He lost everything. And I'm still alive. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for that. I just…I wish that it hadn't taken you sacrificing yourself."

She looked around, noticing for the first time that she was not alone. Other families could be seen throughout the cemetery, some crying, some comforting others, some even laughing at good times they'd shared with their loved ones.

"Your parents told me not to feel guilty. But how do I do that? You're dead, and I'm still alive, because you saved me. You gave me that chance to carry on. You stopped Derek from hurting anyone else. But I still can't help but feel guilty, because you should have had that chance. You deserved that chance. Hell, Paige and Tiffany deserved that chance. But now you're all gone. And I don't know what to do now."

"You know, when my friends died, I felt so alone. Nobody wanted to know me and everyone I knew just gave me these looks, as if they were angry I was the only survivor. I spent 4 years with no one to talk to, and then I left for college, where no one knew me. The parents blamed me, our other friends blamed me as if it were somehow my fault that they died. I knew it wasn't, but the rejection was painful. But now, no one blames me. And its an odd feeling. I feel like I'm more at fault than I was before, but no one accuses me of anything. And I don't know how to cope with that. I was always the one to blame, and now I'm not and I just feel like I should be carrying an extra burden. I know I shouldn't be to blame, I mean it was your choice to jump in front of the bullet, but its hard to accept that."

"I don't even think I'm making sense anymore, but I think I just wanted to try and sort my thoughts out. I think this case has hit me a lot harder than most ever will. I lost another friend, and its brought back some things, some memories, that I wish I didn't have to relive. But I guess I have to."

Kneeling, she ran her fingers lightly over the stone. "I just want to say that, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that it came to this, that you didn't get the life you deserved. But I swear you won't be forgotten. I'm going to miss you."

* * *

Danny stood a short distance behind her, unnoticed. After a short while of searching her favourite places, he realised that the person she probably wanted to talk to was Annabel. So he'd headed to the cemetery.

That was where he found her, but she looked more at ease than she had done in days so he didn't want to interrupt her. He listened as she talked, uncomfortably aware that she had probably only ever wanted Annabel to hear these words. But he couldn't tear himself aware. It was as she finished speaking, and as she started crying that he made his presence to her known. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her softly as she cried.

"You ok?"

"It hurts so much Danny. So fucking much. I don't know what to do now."

"I know. I know." There wasn't anything else he could say.

They stood like that for a while, before Lindsay pulled away to touch the gravestone once more. Taking one last look at the photo resting on the grass, the one taken of all the girls, the one that Annabel had kept close to her heart, she turned away.

Taking Danny's hand, she led them out of the cemetery, feeling lighter than she had done in ages. She hadn't recovered from her grief, and she knew there would be days where she missed Annabel terribly, just as she still had days were she missed her friends. But, as many people had said, she was living for all of them now. And she knew that she wouldn't let them down.

* * *

_Well, what did you think? Good ending, bad ending?_

_I know I didn't resolve the Derek issue - I couldn't decide whether or not I wanted to kill him, so I've left it open ended in case people ever want a sequel (if you do, you'll have to let me know, and if i get enough requests, i might consider it)_

_Thanks so much for reading, it was so much fun to write and i hope you liked reading it as much as i enjoyed writing it :)_


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